His undetermined path
by BlackBlaze
Summary: Rewrite to love me when I'm gone.  Things are problematic for Naruto after his attemtp to reach Sasuke. But a past that was there before his birth may finally be catching up to him. Will this game of life and death be too much for him? Will he survive?
1. Their goodbye

**A/N This story is a rewrite of one that I've already completed. I did this because the original had too many things that were pointless and didn't make sense (even to me) So names have been changed, characters have been deleted and maybe some added. I want all the chains to connect at the end. The plot may be different, but the general idea is still and always will be... the same. I hope you enjoy the rewritten story of Love me when I'm gone, chapter 1.**

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* * *

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**His undetermined path **

**The introduction page**

**Their goodbye**

* * *

_**A separation of a single god over a thousand years ago…**_

_**A deadly feud between two clans…**_

_**A group seeking an unworldly power…**_

_**That is how this journey will begin… and how it will end…**_

* * *

A tall man with long orange hair glared down at his world. His red eyes pierced the picture with a glare. Fire was slowly spreading across his lands, and it was his entire fault. He took his clawed hand and punctured the tips of each finger. He placed both hands together by his fingertips and began to chant under his breath.

A large worm hole opened up before him. He took his hands and pulled on his spirit, soul, and his body until a form of each was released. He merged the three pieces together into a single glowing orb and threw it into the hole. Slowly, it closed, leaving the picture of a green land hidden behind its invisible doors.

* * *

A dark figure moved in the late night air. Its eerie lime colored eyes were illuminated by the pale light of the moon. It silently moved through the trees, its padded feet making new prints in the thin, dust-like layer of fresh snow.

It stopped, quickly lifting its head but locking its muscles in place so as to not give itself away by movement. Its eyes now trying to pierce the darkness that lay before it. Its nose doing all the work, smelling the air so that the disturbance could be identified.

It was blood. Blood, and the scent of humans. They were on the move, and the creature could tell that the numbers were small, but still dangerous. It waited, its instincts telling it not to move so that the humans would miss it and pass on by.

They appeared before it, the scent of blood now stronger than ever. It was a large bleeding mass, blood splattering onto the ground, melting the thin layer of snow instantly. The mass made a sick, gargling sound. It bent down, and the mass suddenly became two separate bodies.

The man, who had his dark brown hair tied in a low ponytail, gently laid his companion onto the ground. The woman, with long, identical brown hair in a similar ponytail, coughed up an unhealthy amount of blood. She opened her dulling emerald eyes and stared up into her brother's identical eyes. She started to reach for his face as he bent over her bleeding form.

"Haru-"

"Shh. Don't talk, Narta. I don't want you dying on me." He muttered. He pulled up her shirt so that he could better see the gaping wound in her abdomen. His body shook with despair, knowing that the damage was too great… that his little sister was dying. "You'll be ok. Just try not to move." He said weakly as he grabbed one of the hands that were holding his face.

"Stupid Haru. I know I'm dying… I want you to run and leave me here. They've already killed Mitara, and they got your little Skerto too… It was my fault for being careless… and-" She coughed. "And… for underestimating my opponent." She closed her eyes. "Get away…"

"Narta-" Haru stopped and looked up into the direction he had just came from. He felt the change in the air, and knew that he was trapped. The enemy was too close to deal with his little sister, and himself.

"Go now, Haru." He didn't move. His body was frozen like the wolf only a few yards away. She pulled out a kunai blade and glared up at him. "Goodbye, Haru." She said as she ran the blade over her neck.

"Narta!" He cried out. He held her body for a moment until a kunai flew past his head, startling him. He glared at the shadow that was standing on a tree branch nearby. "You bastards!" He yelled out at the shadow as he turned his body to face the darkness that lay before him.

A kunai lodged itself into his back shoulder blade. He hissed in pain, but knew that he had to get away, like his little sister had told him. He unlodged the blade and launched it back at the enemy behind him.

"Nice try, boy." The man said as he grabbed the handle and spun it around his finger. "You can't escape with your life this time, Uzumaki. You got away last time, but-"

Haru jumped at him, digging a thin senbon into the enemy's left eye. The man screamed out in pain, his hand gripping the silver needle that was lodged in his eye. He pulled it out and looked around.

His teammate jumped down. "Torik! Are you ok-?"

The man glared up at him. "Get him… Kill Uzumaki… kill his whole family, Gotarmaru!" He yelled.

"S-sir!" He said and disappeared into the late night.

Torik snarled as he pulled off his sleeve and wrapped it around his eye.

Haru ran through the trees, his shoulder throbbing as sharp pains shot through every time he moved it too much.

He wasn't moving as fast as he wanted to. He was physically and mentally drained from trying to escape from those men. If he could just get into the Lunar's border, then they would be unable to continue their chase.

He took a leap off the ground, but the earth suddenly shifted and sucked him in. He was trapped. His head and most of his lower body and hands were trapped by the ground. He struggled to get out, but it was no use.

He broke out in a cold sweat. Although it was starting to snow harder, he felt like he was on fire… like he'd never be cooled down again. He stopped struggling, unable to make his body move again. His breathing became more labored as he stared out into the dark like the wild wolf.

The snow crunched from behind his head. "Thanks, Gotarmaru. It's only right that I take out his son in the process as well. You can take care of the last son."

"Understood, Uncle."

Torik kicked Haru in the back of the head. "Are you ready for death, boy?"

Haru turned his head slightly. Torik was waiting for a horrified look… but he was clearly enraged when the boy was grinning at him, clearly ready to take death with open arms. "Go ahead, you filthy bastard. Just be prepared to deal with the consequences-"

Torik had kicked Haru in the forehead. When his head bounded forward, Torik made sure to break his nose just to hear that wonderful cracking noise. He made a few hand signs and then closed his hands, his arms outstretched at the twenty-two year old.

"Earth style- boulder grave jutsu." He said with a devilish sneer. The ground around Haru tightened, making it almost impossible to breathe. He felt his ribs closing in on his heart and lungs.

Torik waited for the cries of pain, the sound of despair in the frosty air. But they never came. Every moment closer Haru came to death, the more he smiled. Finally, blinded by his own rage, he sent a large surge of his chakra into his jutsu.

Haru was suffocating. He had only seconds left… seconds of life left to say something that would injure the man. "You won't win in the end-"

The sound of all the buried bones being crushed hovered in the air. Dull green eyes stared out into the darkness, but across his pale, blood drained face, was the remains of a faint smile.

* * *

A middle aged woman with black hair tied up in a tight bun stood in her kitchen, staring out her window at the first snow of the year. It was only September, but the snow always came early and left late.

She gripped the counter as she heard her youngest son and daughter walk into the kitchen. Her son was tall, with brown hair and bright green eyes, both traits of his father. He was only nineteen.

Her daughter only came up to her brother's shoulders, but she was about to be eighteen in a few days. Being a full grown woman with her long, lower back length brown hair and bright emerald eyes, she had many traits that many wanted in their own families. She had had a few offers for an arranged marriage already, but there was no need.

"Mom, has Haru and Narta returned?" Her son asked. The woman shook her head slowly, tears rolling down her face. She didn't face her children like that, though. Not even when her husband's body had been brought back only a few days ago did she shed tears in front of her children. It was a weakness, and did not want to look weak to her children now… now that she was the head of the Uzumaki clan until Haru was made the official head of the family.

She watched in the reflection of the window as her two youngest walked out to leave the woman in peace. She put her shaky hand on her forehead and forced herself to stop crying. After an hour of standing, she finally made her way to one of the chairs and sat down.

It seemed like just a few seconds when somebody walked through the back door. It startled the woman, causing her to straiten up in a hurry. Her dark blue eyes stared at the intruder for a moment before it was processed into her mind.

This man was from one of the groups that had chased after her two oldest children. "Ma'am…" This man… was here to tell her that one of them had died. "It's in my deepest regret to have to inform you-" He was the man who was about to break her heart. "That your daughter, Narta Uzumaki-" This man was Nakuro Hinme, he was a teammate of her youngest son. "And your son, Haru Uzumaki, were both found this morning." He bowed his head. "We were too late, Ma'am."

"NO!" The widow turned her head to see her youngest son staring at his teammate. He looked like someone had stabbed him in the back. "YOU'RE LYING, NAKURO!" He shouted." He shouted.

"Nar-" The young man pushed past his friend and rushed out the back door into the early morning air.

"Momma?" Her daughter looked around the opening. "Momma? Where's Haru… where's Narta? Are they ok?"

"They're gone… They're both gone." She sobbed as she let her head fall onto the table. "They've taken your father… now your brother and sister."

The young woman just stood there, staring at her broken mother and her brother's best friend. "Nakuro! Go after him! He'll be killed too!" She shouted. The realization had yet to take root in her yet.

She rushed back to her room to gather her things. She couldn't let her brother go after them, not alone. He was a good fighter when he was calm, but now… he was on a suicide mission.

She pulled on a pair of pants and boots, then her vest. Her t-shirt would have to do. She could hear her mother rushing down the hall to stop her, so she opened her window and pulled herself out. She landed gracefully on the ground and looked at the wolf seated before her. He was a shaggy male with light brown fur and light green eyes. Most called him stupid because it seemed like he never listened… but Tarsa knew he was very smart. He was the best tracking dog there was.

"Find your master." She muttered. The dog stared at her for a moment before turning and running though the trees behind her house. She could hear her mother crying out for her to come back, but she couldn't go back. Not without him.

* * *

The youngest son flew through the trees, wind speeding through his short, wild brown hair. He had passed his brother and sister's corpses, and it had almost made him through up. But he didn't stop. He pushed on, knowing he couldn't rest until that man was dead.

He felt a presence behind him. He tilted his head and spotted his best friend. "Your sister's following. What are you going to do?"

"Finish him off before she gets there." He growled out. He knew that the man would be waiting for them just across the border.

"Is this a wise choice? You know that they'll be waiting for you-"

"Can you really say that to me, Nakuro? After what that man did to them? Did you see them? I didn't have to even stop and stare. He crushed my older brother, and the gouge in her stomach… He's signed his death to me."

Nakuro looked down a bit. "I understand. I'll be right behind you."

The young man turned around and gave his friend a faint smile. "Thanks."

He stopped right past the border. He looked around, trying to find them. "Nar-"

"I know… They're here." He muttered. They were near a cliff that overlooked a dangerous river. Although the world around it was frozen, the water was moving too fast to freeze.

"There you are. The last male heir to the Uzumaki clan. Are you glad I finished off your brother? Now it can be yours-" Torik stopped when the young brunette made a number of hand signs. "Don't be foolish boy. You father couldn't beat me… nor could your brother or sister. You think you can defeat what the greater could not?"

The young man simply glared at him. Nakuro had looked over to his right, where he had spotted the other man who had been involved in the murders.

Torik glared when, suddenly, five wolves appeared from a cloud of dust and rushed at unnatural speeds at him. He didn't even raise his hands to defend himself. The wolves jumped and started attacking him, but he did not move.

"You think a little genjutsu will do me in?" He waived his hand and the five great dogs were gone in a poof of smoke.

He narrowed his green eyes at the man who had easily dispelled his genjutsu. He felt Nakuro rush at the kid who was around the same age as himself. The man before him was probably forty or more, but he was incredibly powerful. He pulled out a strand of silver beads from around his neck.

* * *

She hurried as fast as she could. The light brown wolf ran in front of her as fast as he could as well. The snow had dumped right after she left, and it was already two inches deep and slowing her pace considerably.

She rushed up the hill that lead to the border. If she could just get there, then she may have caught up with her older brother. If she could just help him-

But when she reached the top of the hill that represented the border to the Solar country, she was met with a horrid, bloody scene.

Nakuro had been injured in his shoulder, and it was a bad injury. The young man he was up against was injured as well, but he had healing abilities and was dealing with a large gash on his arm.

She pulled out a kunai and flung it at the young man who was healing his arm and rushing to attack at the same time. It barely hit him, but it managed to make a small cut across his forehead.

Clearly shocked, he turned, giving Nakuro the chance to jump at him. The man dodged him and hit him in the back of the neck. Her brother's friend collapsed on the ground. His eyes were slightly open. He tried to get back up, but the man had hit him with a medical ninjutsu, making him temporarily unable to move.

The man looked up and noticed that his uncle was being strangled by the set of metal beads wrapped around his neck. Her brother, on the other hand, had a katana shoved into his stomach.

Blood was slowly trailing down both the males faces. But it was her brother, who's back was facing the end of the cliff, his feet only inches away from falling to his icy death, that had blood pouring out from his mouth

Torik took advantage of his position and shoved his blade just a little farther into his opponent, making the younger man stumble and trip over the cliff.

Time slowed to an almost unbearable pace. Tarsa could feel her mouth opening to make a sound.

He glanced over at his sister, his emerald eyes wide with shock. He reached out for her before he disappeared over the edge. A loud splash sounded many feet below.

The young man grabbed his uncle and the two disappeared in a puff of smoke.

She rushed over to the edge of the cliff and looked down at the freezing rapids. "Nar- NARUTO!"

* * *

The only survivor of the four Uzumaki siblings stared at her shaken mother. "No."

"Please… dear-"

"NO! You can't make me get married on my birthday. I want to live the way I want-"

"Tarsa! You lost that privilege the moment your sister and brothers died. I'm sorry it has to be like this."

"And Nakuro? He's agreed to this?" She said as she sent the man sitting across from her a glace that had no rival. He looked down and shook his head a little. She knew he had no choice. They were from the two most powerful clans in the village, and it only seemed right that they combine.

"This is how it's going to be, Tarsa. You're to be married in two days. Your siblings funerals' are later today. I expect you to cooperate with the Hinme family." The older woman said.

Narta glared at her hands. "I can't accept this." She muttered. She pushed herself up and stormed out of her kitchen.

She slammed her door shut and sat on her bed. They wouldn't even wait. It had to be right away, so that she could be used to breed. That's what they wanted.

"Tarsa?" Nakuro had opened the door and stuck his head in. "Can I come in?"

She didn't answer.

"I tried to change their minds, Tarsa. I knew you didn't want this… Its inconsiderate of them to do this to you." He said slowly as he took a seat next to her. "I know this is hard on you."

"Do you?" She snapped.

"Yeah, I do! Naruto was like my brother. How do you think I feel?!" He stopped, afraid he would hurt her feelings with his harsh words.

She stared at his sickly looking face. He was too pale to be healthy. He had bags under his eyes, and his arm was in a sling until the initial soreness went away. He looked like he had been crying for a long time.

"I'm sorry-"

"No, it's ok. I'm just… just a little upset." He said. I know you don't want to get married, Tarsa. If you're willing to, I'll help you escape the village."

"What?" She gasped out.

"I know you and Naruto always wanted to leave. I'll give you the chance to get away. You deserve to be happy after what's happened."

"Nakuro-"

"Tonight, I'll meet you in here. You'll sneak out through your window and I'll take you to the southern border. That'll lead you into Lightning Country. Be careful and find somewhere safe to stay in one of the smaller countries."

* * *

Nakuro and Tarsa rushed through the snow. Jogging beside them was a large, blonde wolf with pale blue eyes. Nakuro had sent his own wolf to send an alarm to them incase someone noticed their missing presence.

It took two hours to get to the southern border of the Lunar Country. She turned and looked at him. "What about Kahna?"

"Kahna Inuzuka? I'll tell her what happened. You don't have to worry about that."

She looked down. "You'll take care, too?"

"Yeah."

She nodded and took her first step away from him… from her home, and into the pathless future.

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**A/N 2 **

**If you're familiar with the original version of this story, then you've already read a brand new segment. I wanted to put a little more background on Tarsa before she... well, I won't spoil it for the new comers (unless you spoil it for yourselves, then that's ok) I have left the original up incase some people would like to read, then comare the two, and thats fine. But I did change the roles of some characters, Nakuro, for example. **

**If this chapter completely confused you then I have actually done my job for chapter 1. I'll be working on this, along side with the sequal, The only move is forward. That is mostly based off of this story, not the original. Poisons will have a larger part the second time.**

**I'd love to read what you think about this, so reveiw if you would.**

**Blackblaze**

**PS. I do have a Live journal, and I occasionally post things regarding any of my stories that I'm working on. If you check it out, you may find out why I'm taking so long. If you want to visit it, then it's in my profile (my profile has not been updated recently, but my LJ is up)**


	2. The sealing

**His undetermined path **

**The introduction page II**

**The sealing**

_**In difficult times, will your judgment sway when it comes to one precious person you know, or for the greater good? Could you made that decision?**_

* * *

"Sir! We can't keep this up! He's too powerful!" A man yelled from his position fifty yards from the demon that was quickly destroying everything in his path.

A blonde man wearing a long white coat glared at the creature. There was nothing that could be done about the current events in the eyes of many around him… but he knew just how to get rid of him. "Just continue pushing him out of the village!"

"Minato. Things aren't looking good on my end either. What are you going to do?" His sensei's voice barely came through his ear piece.

He touched the button on his neck. "I can only think on one thing that could work… but it's a huge risk, and the probability of it working isn't even fifty percent yet."

"Minato! Even if it's only a one percent chance it's better than this massacre going on right now. I can stall for time, but I can only give you ten minutes at the very most."

His cerulean eyes looked across the battlefield. His friends were out there being slaughtered, and he was simply standing here, waiting to see what was going to happen. It was only when a large gust of wind came in his direction after one giant red tail lashed out in his direction, when an unknown number of things that could barely be recognized as bodies that were torn apart and charred, that he decided it would have to happen.

"Ok, Sensei. Ten minutes is more than enough." '_Hopefully.'_

He closed his eyes and made a single hand sign. He felt the air shift around him as he thought of the place he should be at. When he opened his eyes, he was standing outside of a small town that bordered the Country of Fire.

He ran down the dirt path, made two sharp turns, and stopped in front of a door. He grasped the handle and pushed it open. He glanced inside and spotted his oldest son lying on the couch, fast asleep.

He decided that it was best to leave him be. He didn't want to bother the dirty blonde's slumber. He could see his son's blue eyes moving under his eyelids. His wolf, a present from his wife's friend from back at her old village, was lying next to his boy. His large black body was as close as it could have ever gotten. His head was up and alert, though, his bright orange eyes staring at him. A large patch of red could be seen along both his sides, and his paws, which were hidden at the moment, were red as well.

He put his finger up to his mouth. "Quiet, Ezekiel." He whispered to his pet. Ezekiel just placed his head back on the boy's chest, but his eyes were still open.

He pulled off his headband and placed it in the boy's open hand before walking into his own bedroom where his wife should have been resting. But it didn't surprise him one bit that she was awake, talking to the young girl he had brought here to watch over his wife while she was pregnant.

The two females quickly turned their heads to look at who had just walked in. "Minato Sensei!" Kala, the young girl with brown dusty looking brown hair and gray-blue eyes hopped up from her seat next to the bed. "What's happening at home?" She asked.

He looked at his wife. She was lying in her bed, wearing a loose white t-shirt and baggy green pants. Her long, dark brown hair was tied into a loose braid, her emerald eyes staring at him. Not only hers, but the blue eyes of a blonde wolf lying next to her master.

"Minato. What are you doing here if you haven't help your village? I told you that those people are more important that you constantly checking up on me. We're all fine here." She said sternly.

He didn't break his contact with her. "I'm sorry, Tarsa. I had to come back here." He walked over and looked at the two infants lying in a basinet in the corner. One was a girl with light brown hair and bright green eyes. He could a few faint blonde stands in the dark mess of hair.

Her older twin was curled up next to her. He had such light blonde hair that he could barely see it on his son's head. The youngest boy had his blue eyes as well. He was the only one out of this three children to inherit both his blue eyes and all of the blonde on his head.

His oldest son, Haru, who was barely three, had his blues eyes, but his hair was a shade darker than his own. His daughter, Narta, at this moment, had gotten all her looks from her mother. And although the two were twins, they weren't identical, Narta and Naruto.

He touched his daughter's forehead before picking up his son. He could feel Tarsa tense up behind him. "What are you doing?"

He looked over his shoulder, his eyes narrowed. He was thinking about what he was doing.

Tarsa slowly managed to get up on her feet with Kala's assistant. He didn't move. "What are you doing with Naruto?"

Minato looked down at the sleeping boy, then at the squirming baby girl in her little bed. He took a breath. "This'll probably be the last time you ever see either of us again."

She stopped walking over to him. "What?"

"The only way I can rid Konoha of the Kyuubi, is with Naruto." He took a step towards the door. "Sorry it's going to end like this. Guess I was right… I'm not meant to be a father."

"Sensei?" The girl walked over to him. "What are you doing?"

He put his hand on her head. "You'll have to come with me. I have a job for you back at the village." He said. He put his hand on her back and walked her out of the room.

As he expected, a deep growl started coming from Alana, who had jumped off the bed. A kunai whizzed at his head, but he easily moved it to the side. The weapon imbedded itself into the wall instead.

"You're not taking my son to be some sacrificial lamb, Minato Namikaze." He moved closer towards the door, completely ignoring her threats.

"I guess it's good that you can't use that kekkei genkai right now." He muttered as he closed the door behind him.

Haru was sitting up. "Daddy? Why's mommy yelling?" He asked as he rubbed his eyes. The door was flung open behind him.

"Sorry, Haru. I have to take Naruto with me."

"To help the village, right? You've always said that." He said, smiling.

The Namikaze males turned when Tarsa sobbed. "P-please don't t-take him. Minato… please."

He closed his eyes. He couldn't look at her like that. He knew if he didn't leave now, he'd never be able to. "Haru." He said. "Will you take care of your mom and little sister?"

He nodded, still not sure what was going on.

"I'm sorry." He muttered. He grabbed Kala's arm and lightly pulled her out of the house. He shut the door. He pulled the girl closer to him and held onto his son while closing his eyes. The last thing he heard were the mournful sounds Tarsa's screams and cries.

When he opened his eyes, he was back in Konoha. He glanced down at his son to see bright blue eyes staring into his dull ones. "Hey there, little guy." He muttered. Naruto smiled and let out a small giggle, which made him smile.

He turned to Kala. "Kala, you've done a lot for me and Tarsa in the past two months. But now I'm going to give you an order as the Hokage."

She nodded. "I understand, sir."

"Good. What I'm about to do with Naruto is dangerous, and if he manages to live, then I want you to watch over him as a doctor, ok?" She nodded. "Also, I don't want you contacting Tarsa about what's going to happen tonight. If Naruto lives, then write to her and tell her that he died. She can't know about him, ever. Even if he's twelve years old and begging to know about his family, you can't tell. Nobody is to know about his family. Jiraiya and Tsunade know about Tarsa, but I told them that she died this morning due to problems during the birth. They don't know about Narta and Haru. Keep it that way."

Kala nodded once again, and said slowly… "You've had this planned out. For how long?" She asked.

He sighed. "A while. But that's not important now." He looked up when a loud crash sounded to his right. "It's time to start." He muttered. He pushed the button on his hear piece. "Sensei, I'm back."

"Three minutes, Minato!"

"Right." He replied.

He turned to Kala. "Alright listen, I want you to find somewhere safe to hide until all the danger has passed." He patter her head and ran off towards the sound of destruction.

He spotted the retired Third Hokage helping a hurt child that had been trying to get back towards his parents. He had a large gash across the bridge of his nose and it was bleeding profusely.

"Minato! Things are getting worse by the minute. What do you plan on doing?" He asked.

He stopped. He hadn't told the old man about Naruto. "This boy is going to save the village, Sarutobi Sensei, not me."

"Stop talking nonsense, boy-"

"I'm serious. I'm going to seal the demon within this boy. He was born this morning and it's the best thing I can think of."

"You're going to summon the Shinigami, aren't you?" The elder man asked.

"It can't be helped. This is my last resort. If this fails, we're doomed anyways. This boy, Naruto Uzumaki, will be known as the hero of this village. Please remember that." He bowed his head and continued to run to the battle scene.

When he got close enough, he summoned the great Gamabunta. As he sat atop the large toad's head, he could hear cheering from all around. "The simple minded fools… Can't they see that it's not over yet?" Gama said in his low voice.

"Seeing us brings hose to them, Gama. That's what's important in the end."

"Not that important when they're dead."

"Gama!"

"Heh, I'm only joking. Is that the child you spoke of?"

"Yeah. He's my son. Make sure to be kind to him if you should eve happen to meet, ok?" Minato looked down the toad's face. "That injury not going away? "He asked. A large gash could be seen running down the rough red skin of the Toad Lord.

"No. It'll heal over time, but demon chakra slows the healing process immensely. It's no surprise that it didn't heal after I returned home."

Kyuubi's head lifted and turned towards the toad. He growled. "**Back for more, you foolish old creature?"**

"Quiet, you filthy fox." Gama returned.

Kyuubi took a swipe at him with one of his tails, but Gama jumped over it like it was a jump rope. "**What do you humans think you can do, huh?! You can't run because I'll hunt you down one by one. You surely can't possibly hope to beat me, the lord of all demons!"**

As the Kyuubi threw his head up and laughed, Minato started making hand signs while still holding his son. He had to do it slowly so he didn't mess up. Holding a child and trying to form signs wasn't as easy as he had hoped. Finally he finished and the God of Death appeared next to him.

The… creature was the only term Minato could think of, loomed over him. "_**Sealing a demon, eh? That'll cost you, Minato Namikaze… your life."**_

"I know this already."

"_**Oh, well good. I won't have to explain it to you. But now that you've summoned me, you'll be leaving with me. Are we on agreeing terms here, mortal?"**_ Minato simply nodded. "_**Very we-"**_

"**You?! What do you think you're doing here, Death? I can't be directly killed by you by having my soul and spirit taken out. That was the agreement." **The kitsune growled.

Death chuckled. "_**I forgot that you pitiful demons could see me, unlike mortals who haven't summoned me." **_Kyuubi growled and took a step forward. "_**Don't get so excited, demon. You won't be dying on this very dark night. But your time is soon drawing to an end."**_

Minato made one more sign and suddenly everything lit up around him. He felt his own soul separate from his body. The soul version of himself was identical in features, but it was like staring at the sun. The soul radiated so much light that the surrounding ninja had to shield their eyes and couldn't see what was happening.

'_Is this really my soul?!'_ He thought as he held Naruto up to his chest. The light being created something like glowing ropes and lassoed them around the Kyuubi's neck. He let out a terrible roar and struggled to get free, but it was too late for him now. He was caught.

The soul tugged on the ropes and slowly, the soul and spirit of the Kyuubi began to separate from his large body. With one more earth-shaking roar, he was fully separated. His soul was a dark red and it moved as if it were the surface of the sun. That's when Minato realized that not only were the soul and spirit being pulled into his son, but his chakra was as well.

The bright soul slowly walked through the child in Minato's arms and back into its own body. He felt a chill run down his spine. He had to do it now.

He bit his thumb as the soul continued to return to his body, pulling the demon's spirit, soul, and chakra along with it. He was glad his son was only wearing a diaper. He took it off and made a large number of seal marking on his son's body. There was only one place that had no markings, and that was on Naruto's navel area. Naruto started to cry once the Kyuubi started to enter his body.

Minato started to feel sick. He had the case of the chills bad, but he held on tight to Naruto. After what seemed like an eternity, the only remaining soul of Kyuubi was part of a tail. Minato lunged his left hand into the liquid like version of the chakra. He pulled his hand out of the burning sensation right as the tail disappeared into his boy.

Without hesitating he began to finish the full body seal on his son. "I'm not only going to seal you with my blood and my son, but with your own power as well, Kyuubi." He muttered as he continued to write on his son's stomach.

With a bloody spiral shape and a surge of his own chakra, he finished the full body seal on his son. All the light was gone from the souls, but the God of Death still hovered near Minato.

Naruto continued to cry, but he slowed down to a sob and looked up at his father. His violent red eyes stared up into his father's sad blue orbs. Three red, glowing lines appeared on each cheek, then faded into thin, black lines. His eyes faded back to blue and all the sealed crawled over his skin and massed within the seal on his navel. It took the longest to fade away.

"There now. That wasn't so hard-" He felt a tug as his chest, causing him to collapse to his knees. His breathing became ragged and heavy. "Looks like this is goodbye, Naruto." He whispered to his boy. "I love you." He muttered.

He fell over onto his side, Naruto still within his grasp. He just continued to watch his son's blue eyes look up at him. But for a moment, his large infant eyes moved over to the figure hovering above the dying Hokage.

Naruto started to wail again when Death reached down and pulled Minato's soul and spirit from his body. The child could only wail louder when he felt the change in his father.

"_**Quit your crying, boy. You'll be with him soon enough now that that particular demon is a part of you." **_He held Minato's gray soul within his grasp. "_**Fate will bring the two of you together in about thirteen years. I'll be waiting…'**_ His voice faded as his disappeared from the view of the infant. And as if he knew what the god had said, his tears slowed and he sobbed into his father's chest.

Movement could be seen from all around as cheers were heard echoing through the trees. A thin figure ran forward. "Sensei!" He stopped when Jiraiya appeared before him, holding his arm out.

"He's not coming back, Kakashi."

"No! Sensei! You can't leave! You can't be gone!"

Jiraiya grabbed the boy's shoulders. "Enough, Kakashi."

The boy stopped struggling. His friends… the team he had been placed on, squad seven, was gone. He was alone.

A few others appeared. They knew that their Hokage was dead. The one's cheering in the forest would soon mourn as well. Not only for their lost Hokage, but for the many leaves that fell in the attack.

More ninjas appeared as the work slowly spread around through the trees. The cheers fell silent. They were now moving forward to pay their respects to their fallen Hokage.

Crying filled the area, but it was that of a child's. Many looked around, but only two walked forward towards Minato. The man who had taught him many of the thing he knew bent down and slowly pulled the child out of his student's cold hands.

He held the boy and stared down at him as many started to whisper.

"What's that?"

"Where did Lord Minato get that? I didn't see that child before!"

"Maybe that's the Kyuubi in human form."

"Kill it. Kill it right now."

"Enough!" Sarutobi yelled. "This boy was brought by your late Hokage. He sealed the demon within the infant so that you all would be safe. This boy is the reason your alive."

"Seal? Then eventually it'll get out. I still say it should be killed. We can't afford any mistakes."

"Silence!" The old man roared. "Naruto Uzumaki gave you all life. Don't think of such horrid things when Minato gave his life to seal the demon into the boy. Nobody will lay a finger on this child. He is to be unharmed."

"But sir-"

"Quiet. I'm amking a law right here and now. None of you are to speak of the events that unfolded here tonight. Nobody else is to know about what is sealed within this child, Naruto. If you speak of it I will sentence those who do very harshly."

"Does that mean you're taking up your post as Hokage again?" Jiraiya asked as he lightly bounced the laughing baby in his arms.

The old man gave a small smile to his student. "I know you, Jiraiya. You won't take the position. I'll make sure that this place is restored before I step down."

"I see. What about Naruto?" He asked. "I can't take care of a child. You're too old. Who's left?"

The old man sighed. "That matter will have to be dealt with later. You just keep him safe until this mess is cleaned up." He turned to the large crowd. "Everyone! Never forget this night and what it stand for…and never forget the fallen leaves of Konoha!"

* * *

**This story should be coming out faster than this!!! It makes me mad that I've neglected it for so long. I reposted the first chapter although there weren't any real noticable changes. I'm going to work more on this. I have most of the plop laid out (Section by section right now) so I'll be putting more chapters of this out at a time that with The only move is forward. That seems right, doesn't it? the first story should be done before the second, right. lol. **

**Well, that's basically all I have to say. I try to avoid putting personal things up here because then this would be way too long , thats what my livejournal is for. Oh yeah... If you guys actually read my author notes, then if you review, say that you have read this(just once though) I'm just curious is all as to how many people really read these. I may make a simailar note in Tomif.**

**Blackblaze**


	3. The Lunar Traitor

**His undetermined path **

**Konoha Arc**

**The Lunar Traitor**

* * *

Two figures silently sped across the snow covered ground. It wasn't uncommon to snow in the summer in this particular area, but the shorter shadow hated the cold. Something moved in front of the two causing them to both stop, not daring to move another inch. It being so early in the morning had made visibility under ten percent.

"Is that him?" A woman's voice lightly floated through the air towards the shorter figure.

"Yeah." A young male's voice said to the woman.

The woman took a slow step forward. "Careful. I know you know this, but he may still attack you. It's not uncommon." She said quietly. "And considering that this is Ezekiel, he may try to kill you.

"I know, aunt Kahna. But I think he'll just give me a warning growl. He won't communicate with me at all right now."

"They all do that. It's their instincts to rely only on themselves in these certain times." Kahna said. "Just try and get close enough to see if Alana is ok."

"Right." He said, but before he took a step, a group of wolves appeared from both sides. Although he couldn't see them, he knew each one of them. They all had some sort of black, red, and blonde markings and all had orange eyes.

"_Master Haru. Please don't bother him right now. Father is being aggressive and I'm afraid of what he might do." _A blonde wolf with red patches down his sides said. Haru never released the translation jutsu that enabled him to speak to wolves and some dogs.

"I know, Ramaz, but I have to check, even if it's just a small look." These wolves were the four male offspring of Ezekiel and Alana, his mother and father's wolves. The first litter had produced four males and one female. About six years ago. It was Haru's job to find out how many she had produced this time in her second litter of pups.

"Haru, be careful. Do you want me to call Nima? She's near by." Nima was Kahna Inuzuka's partner wolf. The creature was white with black paws, back, and tail. But because of her coat, she was difficult to see, especially at a time like this when the only thing that lit up the area was the brightness of the snow.

He pulled out a scroll and opened it. "No, Aristotle should be able to handle it on his own." He said as he sent a jolt of chakra into it. Appearing next to him was a large, midnight black wolf with bright green eyes. He looked up.

"_What do you want?" _He asked. Aristotle was probably the only partner wolf that refused to treat his human partner with respect. He respected the boy deep down, but he liked to play and tease his 'master.'

"Draw Ezekiel away from the den hole." The black wolf looked over to the older wolf.

"_Master Haru, please-"_

"_Quiet, you pup." _Aristotle growled at Ramaz. The youngest male backed up a bit. "_Kid, Its not that old dog you have to worry about. It's that wild female in there with her mother."_

Haru grinned. "I'm more than ready to deal with her. Just get _him_ out of here." He turned to the four males next to him. "Help him out. If he gets a little too excited, then I've got something for him."

The four sons of Ezekiel looked a little nervous before they slowly followed behind the black wolf.

Haru watched as the wild male snarled at Aristotle. He knew that Ezekiel was a good wolf, but after his father died he had refused to return to the pet life. He roams the woods around the village with his children along with two other main packs. They alert the village when there's an intruder. But there was something about Aristotle that Ezekiel did not like.

His father's wolf darted off into another direction, the five other wolves surrounding him as they were chased.

"Go now, Haru, I'll restrain him."

"Alright." He said to Kahna. He darted into the small cave. It was more of a hole in the ground, but it was just large enough for him to stand in.

"_Leave…" _The only daughter growled at him.

"Can't do that." He said simply. She bared her fangs at him and lunged, but he was able to move just enough to miss being bitten. He pulled out a syringe and stabbed the wolf behind her shoulder blade. "Sorry, but I have to check on Alana, whether you like it or not."

He tightened his grip as she thrashed around in the small area, but somehow she managed to get her legs between him and the wall. She kicked off and forcefully put him into the wall. His vision flashed white as a sharp pain grew from the back of his head to the front. He felt his grip loosen off the dark form of the only daughter, but he couldn't seem to tighten his grip back up.

"Sasha, please stay still-"He dropped her and she landed with a dull 'thud.' He sighed. "Good. I didn't want to fight with her anymore."

"_Young master, are you ok? I can smell blood." _Alana's voice came from the back of the small cave.

"Oh me? Yeah, I'm ok." He had to get on his knees to get to where Alana was staying. "Sasha's just a hard one to deal with."

"_I warned her not to attack you. But she's too much like Ezekiel… neither will listen to reason."_

"It's ok. As long as you don't attack me, everything will be okay."

"_I will never do such an unruly thing to one that I have watched grow up from a new born. You are just like one of my own."_

"Speaking of that, how are your new ones. Mom really wants to know, but she's got a fever and grandma won't let her leave." He said as he pulled out a small note pad and pen.

"_Your grandmother is wise."_ She moved her head. "_Three this time." _She said.

He pulled out a flashlight and turned it on. There were three indeed. He wrote the small profile for the first one. It had pure white blonde fur and was female. The next one was the same white blonde, but when he picked her up and examined her closer with the flashlight he could see small red hairs mixed in with the blonde.

The last pup was black. He was slightly smaller than his two sisters, the runt of the litter. As Haru looked closer at him, he could see places that had blonde and red hair mixed together. "You're going to be an odd looking one, aren't you." He muttered.

"Well… That's all I wanted. Will you bring them into the village in a few weeks for us to see?" He asked his mother's partner.

"_Of course." _

Haru patted her on the head and pulled a travel blanket out from his pouch. "I know you guys are used to this odd weather, but I brought this for you anyways. Even though it's summer, these guys will still get cold." He said at he put the blanket over Alana and her three pups.

"_Thank you, young master." _She dipped her head low. He rubbed her ears and turned to leave. When he was almost out of the small cave, he could hear Kahna yell, "Haru! Ezekiel is at the entrance!"

Haru stopped crawling and looked up. Hot breath hit his face as bright orange eyes lit up in the light of his flashlight. "Oh no."

"_Boy!" _He growled.

Haru moved back when the black demon lunged forward. He froze, unable to move as a red paw reached out at him and scratched at his face. He felt his skin tear on the left side of his face near his eye. He fell backwards and landed on his back. He couldn't breathe.

The earth moved under him, moving his body slightly as he lay on the cold floor of the cave. Due to lack of space, he was unable to dodge the wolf. Any other time he could have easily missed the attack.

Gloved hands grabbed at his legs and dragged him out of the hole. Still winded from hitting the ground so hard, he didn't even attempt to look around.

"Haru, you ok?" Kahna asked as she bent over his body. He could see her blurry face hovering over his, along with a few dark figures of which he assumed to be the four young male wolves. In the background he could faintly hear the angry growls from Ezekiel.

He tried to say yes, but he was still too dazed to put any words together. All that came out was a groggy "Uh."

Kahna's warm hand, now taken out of the glove, touched his face. "That's a deep cut." She muttered as he felt something tighten against his head. "I can't heal you because that's not in my area. Let's get you back. This bandage will have to work for now."

She helped him up. "Where's… Ari?" He asked.

"He got a little hurt, but it's nothing to worry about. Now lets go." She said as she wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "You've gotten taller than me recently." She said as they trudged through the snow. "I remember when you were just a little boy-"

Haru couldn't hear her. He felt hot and dizzy. '_Where's Ari…?' _It was the only thought going through his mind. Darkness was nearing in the back of his mind. He couldn't fight it anymore.

* * *

"Will Haru be ok?" A young girl asked from nearby.

Haru felt like a heavy piece of lead, or his head did at the very least. He opened his eyes only to shut them again due to the bright light of the sun.

"Look! He woke up." The girl said.

"That's good. Now you can go back and get some rest, Tarsa." An older woman's voice came from around his feet.

"I still want to talk to him, mother." Haru smiled faintly at this voice. It was the voice of his mother. A voice he would always be happy to hear. There was only one other voice he wanted to hear… but he died nearly twelve years ago with his brother.

Haru slowly let his eyes get adjusted to the light. "Hey… mom." He said. He tried to sit up but a firm hand kept him pressed down. "Grandma… let me sit up." He said.

The older woman clicked her tongue. "Just like your mother, aren't you?" She huffed and walked out.

Haru looked around. He was in his room. "What time is it?" He asked.

"It's about eight in the morning. Aunt Kahna just went home." His little sister said as she sat on the edge of his bed. She was just a hair shorter than most of the twelve year olds her age. She had shoulder length brown hair and bright green eyes. She was the only one of the two to actually take on the appearance of what the family was supposed to look like.

He on the other hand, had wild, medium length blonde hair. The blonde was mixed slightly with brown making it duller than a true blonde. His eyes were bright blue.

"Are you ok? I was hoping Ezekiel wouldn't do that to someone he knew." His mother said. She had an almost elegant look to her, with her long brown hair and her soft green eyes. She always worn traditional cloths that made her look to be what many considered a princess.

"S'ok. I had more trouble with Sasha than with Ezekiel." He pulled off his covers and tossed his legs off to the side of his bed. "But I got what you wanted to know, mom." He pulled out the paper and handed it to her.

She took it, but looked at him sadly. "Haru dear… I'm sorry that you got hurt. I wouldn't have sent you-"

"I said it's ok, mom." He said as he stood up and patted his little sister on the head. "You want me to make you breakfast, Narta?" He asked.

"Let you grandmother make you something." Tarsa said as she followed her two children out the door. "She can cook, too."

He didn't want to argue with her while she was still recovering from being sick. "Yeah, but she can't make French toast. It's something dad showed me when I was small." He closed his eyes. He knew that his mother hated it when he spoke so kindly about his father.

Without looking back, he knew that she had stopped and had an unhappy look on her face. '_Sorry, mom.'_

He looked around for the ingredients while Narta sat down at the table. "So how many puppies were there?" She asked him as she kicked her feet back and forth.

"Three. She had two girls and a boy. I had some trouble with getting past Ezekiel, though."

"Ezekiel was dad's wolf, right?" She asked.

He cracked the eggs and mixed them while adding cinnamon. "Yeah. Mom gave him to dad before they had me."

"What was dad like, Haru? Mom won't talk about him and you knew him a little bit, right?" She asked.

Narta liked to ask him about their father, but he would never tell her everything about the man because of how their mother felt. "Well… He was really strong and really kind. He had blue eyes like mine-"

"And blonde hair like yours, too?" She interrupted.

He smiled and shook his head. "No. His was ever blonder. Mine's a little dirty because mom has brown hair."

Narta sighed and put her head down on the table. "I wish I knew what dad looked like. Mom says that she doesn't have any pictures of him- Oh, where were you, Larka?"

Haru turned around and spotted a large mass of platinum white fur walk into the kitchen. Ice blue eyes locked with his own cerulean orbs.

"_Sleeping of course." _She replied as she sat down next to her master. Narta smiled and patted the wolf's head between the ears.

"I could have used you last night, Larka." Haru said over his shoulder as he put the toast onto a plate for Narta. "Where were you then?"

"_Sleeping." _She replied bluntly.

Haru shook his head. There was something about Larka and Aristotle that many in the village didn't like. '_It must be that rude way of speaking to us.'_

Larka and Aristotle were considered siblings although they probably weren't related. Haru had come across them when he was younger. They were all on their own, just the two of them and barely three months old. He spotted them as they fell into a near by river. He managed to save them and brought them home. He raised the two since Narta was still too young to take care of them.

It had caused his mother more problems within the village. He remembered overhearing a conversation between a few people when he was little… how his mother had broke the laws and only managed to come back because her mother and the village leader's son held so much power in the village.

That was the day he realized that he was the only blonde, or the only member in the village with blue eyes. Everyone else had dark hair and dark eyes except for the occasional green pair of eyes.

Apparently, bringing stray wolves back to the village was almost as bad as bringing him and his sister because the wolves could be trained spies from the Solar Eclipse village. His grandmother had managed to persuade the council to let them stay.

"Haru, watch out! You're going to burn your breakfast!" Narta said with a full mouth.

Haru looked down and saw that she was right. He had almost overcooked his breakfast. He quickly flipped the two pieces of bread over.

Someone knocked on the door that led to the back of his house. "Narta… go answer that for me." He said as he flipped the pan over and let his toast fall onto the plate.

"Ok." She had finished her breakfast anyways.

He sat down. His head was still not feeling the way he wanted it to be. He looked up when he heard two sets of footsteps. He moaned. "Why are you here, Kane?" He asked his teammate.

He looked offended, a play he uses to be sarcastic. "How could you say something so terribly mean to your best friend?" He put his hand on his forehead. "I feel rejected."

"You should be used to it by now." Haru replied with a serious face.

Kane glared at him with hazel eyes. "You can really be mean sometimes." He ruffled his medium length black hair. "This stuff is getting a little long. I might have to put it in a ponytail like you, Haru."

Haru looked through his bangs. It was true that his hair had gotten a little long in the last year. Because of this, he would put it in a low ponytail. It wasn't very long then and the longer bangs stayed out of his face.

Kane sat down in the seat Narta had recently been using. "Well, anyways… We have a mission."

Haru shoved his fork into his mouth. "Hmm." He chewed and swallowed. "What is it?" He asked, know that Kane would give him the same answer he always did.

"How am I supposed to know? Ask Makuro when we see him in a bit. I do know that Sarah will be joining us again and this time it'll be a long one… as in weeks." He smiled as he thought about the girl he mentioned. "I think I love her."

Narta giggled. "Should I tell Sarah you said that?"

Kane lightly poked her in the head. "I'd prefer you not-"

"It wouldn't make a difference. Sarah knows you always say that. You've said it since we were little. She doesn't pay attention to it." Haru said.

Kane made a pitiful whining noise as he laid his head down on the table. Turing to look up at the twelve year old standing next him, he asked, "How come you don't do any missions? Didn't you become a Genin during the summer?"

Haru glanced up and watched her smile fade a little. "My team hasn't been able to do anything yet because Nakuro Sensei just became the head of the village. He said he still wants to teach us, but we have to wait until he gets everything settled down. Right now we're doing self training, but we're not allowed to leave the village or go on any missions yet."

"Oh! Uh… sorry-"

"It's ok. Grandma's been showing me a few things- oh!" She was startled by Larka's cold nose touching her hand. The wolf lightly pulled on her sleeve. "What is it, Larka?"

"Maybe she wants to train with you today, Narta. You're always using grandma's wolf and I bet it makes Larka here a little jealous." Haru said with a smile. She nodded and walked out of the kitchen with the large white wolf.

Kane's eyes followed the girl out of the room until she disappeared. "I didn't mean to say that-"

"It's fine. She's not too happy with it, but I think she understands why she's waiting. We don't really bring it up because she hasn't seen Nakuro since he took his place. I mean, she's seen him, but she hasn't been able to talk to him. I think she recruited him as her father figure." Haru said, his blue eyes staring at the empty doorway.

"Oh. I see. She's sad because she hasn't been able to talk to him."

"Something like that."

Kane moved his head so that his forehead was pressed against the cool table. "I feel bad about saying it." He picked his head up and looked into Haru's eyes. "And what happened to you recently? I didn't want to ask in front of her."

Haru stood up after grabbing the two plates in front of him. "It would have been fine. I had a run in with Ezekiel when I was checking up on Alana last night. His daughter, Sasha, is that one that really messed me up because she thrashed so much in that little hole in the ground."

"I see. Will you be okay on this mission?" Kane asked.

"Probably. Let me get dressed and go see if I can find out what happened to Ari." He walked out of the room, followed closely by his teammate. "Let me go ask my mom." He opened the door to his mother's room. "Hey mom?"

She was lying on her side, her back to him. He shook his head, thinking how childish she acted when he used his father as a way to get out of a conversation or fight. "Mom. I need to know where Ari is."

"He's at Kahna's. You'll have to go there to see him." She muttered, moving her head slightly.

There was a painful silence for s few moments. "Well…" He started. "I have a mission to get ready for. I'll be gone for a while. Is that ok?"

"Fine. Be careful, okay?" She turned her head and looked at him over her shoulder. She looked sad.

"Bye." He turned and walked out, shutting the door behind him.

Kane entered his teammate's room and flopped down on the bed. "Oh my god! That was worse than going to a funeral! Why is she like that?" Kane asked.

"I said something about my dad."

Kane sat up. "Your dad?" Haru nodded. "You know… not that I think about it, you've never mentioned him. And if I've heard right, nobody in the village knows who he was."

Haru shoved a few scrolls into his pack. "That's because nobody but my mom knew who he was. He wasn't from around here-"

"Is that why you have that weird blonde hair and bright blue eyes?"

"My grandmother has blue eyes-" Haru started.

"Yeah, but they're so dark they're practically black. She came from one of our border towns, right? Well anyways… it's just weird to hear you even say anything about your dad."

"That's because my mother hates him because of what he did when Narta was born."

"Ran off?" Kane wondered out loud. "Oops, sorry."

"It's ok." He said as he pulled on his last layer of cloths, a long sleeved white, brown, and gray camouflaged shirt. He tightened his boot straps. "Are you ready?" As he adjusted his pack.

Kane blinked. "Oh, uh… yeah. Let's go I guess."

After Kane was out of his room, Haru reached under his mattress and pulled out a blue cloth with a metal band fixed to it. He ran his finger over the leaf shape in the center. A small smile spread over his face as he put it under his shirt.

A few secret words echoed through his mind as he remembered his father speaking to him not even a day before he died. The time in that field where his father had told him something of great importance. "_Keep you're siblings safe, both your brother and your sister, ok?"_

"_But you said you were taking Nartuo away forever." He closed his eyes to think, causing the older man to smile._

"_Not forever, no. But your mom can't know this or our little mission between us will be ruined. When you're a little older you'll have the chance to go back to the village you were meant to grow up in while your mother's village will still have their spirit princess. You'll watch over Naruto when he's older for me, won't you?"_

_Haru smiled. "You bet!"_

* * *

Haru looked at Aristotle. The black wolf was asleep on Kahna's sofa. "He thinks he's a person." The woman sighed. "He wasn't hurt badly, he just happened to look back when he should have been looking forward. That cliff wasn't high but it was steep."

"So he'll be okay to travel?" Haru asked as he put his head on the wolf's head. A growl could be heard from his throat.

Both Kane and Kahna backed up. Nobody in the village trusted this wolf and being a stray or being rude weren't the only reasons. Haru wrapped his hand around and of the large furry ears and tugged lightly on it. "Quit that." He mumbled.

"Haru, one of these days he might not trust you enough to listen." Kane said.

Haru shrugged. "Do you think he'd still be here if he didn't trust me? I gave him the chance to be free and he chose not to. I'm not keeping him here against his will because we're partners, not master and pet. As for listening… he never does, so it'd be new if he started now." It was true, because the wolf had yet to stop growling.

Kahna shook her head. "Do you think you're ready to take a mission after last night?" She asked.

"Yes, Aunt Kahna. I'll be seeing you in a few weeks then." He knew Ari wasn't about to move from his warm spot, so he bent down and inhaled. He blew a powerful gust of air into the large dog's nose.

Ari sat up and barked. He growled as he put his paw to his nose to try and get the feeling of rushing air out of his nose. "Brat!"

"I can say the same to you, Ari. Let's go." Haru said.

When the two Chuunin entered the office of the man who was now in charge of the village, his other teammate's were there, waiting for them.

"It took you long enough." A girl around the same age as Haru and Kane, spoke up. She had long, light brown hair thrown up into a high messy bun, a few long strands fell down one side of her face. Her bright green eyes stared at the two fifteen year olds. "Me and Bran were about to leave you both here."

Bran, the tall boy next to her, shook his head, his short, dark brown hair moving slightly. He wasn't humored very often and you could always see his annoyance in his dark chocolate eyes. "What took so long?"

Haru stared him in the eyes. "I. Had. To. Pack." He said each word slowly so that his teammate's temper would rise.

"What was that?!" Bran growled out.

"You heard me." Haru said with the same intensity.

Sarah got between the two boys as they took a step towards one another. "Stop it you two." Kane made to do the same incase a fight broke out, but a deep voice from behind stopped everyone.

"Enough!" All four looked over at middle aged man with light brown, slightly wind dried short hair and gray eyes. He glared at the two fighting boys. "I need you two to get along for this mission. You're going to be meeting with some ninja from the Hidden Mist Village. Since they are unallied they are allowed to trade and be on fairly good terms with all the neighboring countries. I need you four to go and retrieve a scroll for me. Understood?"

"Sir!" The three males said in unison.

"Um… Sir… where's Makuro Sensei?" Sarah asked. "I thought he'd be going with us."

Nakruo leaned back in his chair. "He is not needed for this mission. The scroll's value is virtually zero along with what's written on it. Nobody will be after it. As for Makuro, I gave him this mission off since his wife is so close to having her baby. I thought it was explainable without saying." He replied.

Sarah blushed. Of course she knew her sensei was due at any time. It had just slipped her mind that her sensei was married to Haru and the other's sensei. She muttered an apology.

After giving the four the needed information to accomplish their mission, he bid them farewell and shooed them out of his office. Haru was the last out. As the dirty blonde slowly closed the door, Nakuro had a horrible feeling run down his spine.

* * *

"Arg! It's been two weeks already! Where are we?" Bran yelled. Haru thought he was about to pull out his hair, but he felt the same way. Somewhere along the line, they had taken a wrong turn and instead of meeting with the ocean, they were lost on some path somewhere in the middle of a deserted forest.

"It's your own stupid fault, Bran. If you would have just listened to me in the first place!" Sarah yelled.

'_God this sucks… What are we even doing?' _Haru thought. He moved his eyes towards a nearby tree. '_Someone's watching us.' _He thought. He glanced at his two bickering teammates, then at Kane, who was looking at him. He narrowed his eyes a bit and Haru nodded.

Kane stretched out his hand in the direction of the tree and tightly closed his fist. The tree bent over and a man in a mask fell and hit the ground hard. He tried to stand up but Kane just increased the gravity that was holding the man down. This was Kane's Kekkei Genkai: The ability to control gravity in a certain area or space.

"Why are you following us?" Bran demanded. Aristotle, who was right behind Kane's gravity shield, growled. The man didn't say anything.

"Why's he wearing a mask?" Sarah asked as she walked up to the edge of Kane's shield.

"You guys. He's probably on patrol." He didn't want Kane to do that, just call him out. "Let him go, Kane."

Kane smiled sheepishly and released the shield. "Sorry about that." He muttered.

The man stood up off the ground. "It's ok. I don't blame you, but it's my job." The man said. "I don't remember hearing about any village ninjas coming here." The man said. "Why are you this far into the fire country if you're not headed to Konoha?" The man asked.

"Konoha?" The name sounded familiar to Haru. "We're trying to find the ninja village in the water country. That's where we're headed." He explained.

"Understandable. Come with me, I'll find you someone who can get you the directions you need."

The man led them down the path until a large set of walls with gate similar in size came into view. The gates were wide open.

He walked them up to an outdoor desk where two men sat, one looking attentive and the other barely awake. "Hey you two, could one of you get some directions to Kirigakue? These guys are lost." He said.

The brunette nodded. "Yeah. Kotetsu, here's your chance to get up and more around." The blue haired man stood up before stretching his arms.

"Yeah yeah… I hear ya. Better than sitting here I guess." He mumbled as he walked away.

"You can't win with him." The brunette man sighed.

"Yeah, but he wouldn't be Kotetsu if he didn't whine all the time. Am I right, Izumo?" The man said behind his mask.

"Your right." He said. He turned and looked at the four teenagers who were just standing in the gate way. "So you guys are headed out to Kiri? It's a fairly easy travel from here."

Kane perked up. "Really?! That's good. We've been heading there for almost two weeks." He sighed as he remembered that they'd have to travel all the way back as well.

The man who had wondered off to get some directions walked back up to them. He handed Haru the sheet of paper and pointed out key spots on the map that Nakuro had provided.

"Thanks a lot." Sarah said as she spun on her heels and started to walk out of the village. Kane and Bran did the same.

Haru looked around. "Konoha… hm? That name sounds familiar." He muttered as he turned to follow his team. The ANBU member had already taken off to return to his patrol duty. He had only taken a few steps when he could hear someone yelling in the distance.

"Kotetsu! Grab him! He has to go back to the hospital!" He turned his head and watched as a blurred figure tried to dart around the blue haired man. Kotetsu reached out and grabbed one of the boy's arms.

"Not that arm! He's still hurt!" A black haired woman yelled as she and a young girl ran towards them.

Haru just watched in fascination as the few nearby ninja all looked on and shook their heads. Kotetsu released the boy's arm and somehow managed to get one arm around the boy's waist and another around his arms, locking them into place.

But the boy wasn't done. Haru got a glance at his face, which was wrapped in bandages. All that was showing was his blue eyes, blonde hair, and a slit in the bandages so that he could get food into his mouth by the look of it.

"Ah! Let me go!" the boy wriggled around, trying to get free. "I just want some food!"

"Hey! You're going to hurt yourself again with all- oomph!" The boy had kicked him in the crotch area. In that second, Kotetsu weakened his grip and the boy was able to wiggle free. Unfortunately, he was released in the direction that Haru was in.

Haru fell down when the boy accidentally crashed into him. The new weight shocked his body and he wasn't able to move for a moment. Something dripped on his face. He whipped it off with his hand and saw that it was blood.

"Hey… are you ok?" Haru asked.

The blonde rolled off him and tried to stand up. Haru picked himself up and helped him to his feet. The blood was coming from his arm. "It's nothing. I just didn't want to be fed through a tube is all." He muttered as he held up the bleeding arm.

"You've got a needle in there, look." Haru pointed to the unusual shape to the area behind the hole. "It's started to come out… you ripped the cord, didn't you?" he asked.

"Uh… well I-"

Haru smirked. "Heh, don't worry. I did that all the time at home. All you have to do is pinch here…" He muttered as he grabbed a small part of the boy's skin. "Then you grab the needle coming out and pull lightly on it." The needle glimmered in the sun light as he held it up for the younger boy to see.

"Oh. Thanks-"

"Gotcha!" The man, Kotetsu, said.

"Thank you." The black haired woman said as she glared at the boy. "Naruto. You're never going to get better if you keep running off like that. Then you're never going to eat what you want." She said.

The blonde turned away. "I don't see why I can't eat right now. I'm fine. I'm not a slow healer like the rest of you." He muttered so that the woman couldn't hear. But Haru had heard… and he had heard the name of the boy. Haru caught the boy's eye one last time before he turned and ran down the path after his squad.

'_It's time to come home.' _He thought as a faint smile crossed his face. "Hey Ari, did you get his scent?" He asked the black wolf trotting next to him.

"_Yeah. Is that the one you always tell me about?" _

"Yes."

"_I guess it was just luck that you found him." _

"Luck? Maybe, but I think I'm supposed to show up now. Something's probably about to happen."

"_Your instincts have proven to be worthless in the past Kid." _

Haru made a face. "Yeah, well you're not much better." He argued. Ari simply laughed. Haru sighed. "We're going to finish this mission. But when we start to head back we'll attack the others."

"_What? That sound's a little unlike you… I like it."_

"I knew you would." He said with an almost wicked smile. "Come on. Let's catch up with the others before we loose sight of them. I'll tell you what we're going to do…"

* * *

"Why couldn't they have just sent this though the mail? Are they trying to kill us with all this traveling?!" Sarah complained.

"No. We don't get to travel like this and since it was such a simple mission, he probably thought it was good for us." Bran said.

"Yeah, well… I thought it-" Sarah had hit the ground hard.

Kane bent down to pick her up when something hit him in his shoulder blade. He turned around to see that Haru was preparing to throw another kunai into his back. "H-haru?"

His face was emotionless as the second kunai was released from his hand. It was headed for a lower section on his back, so he jumped out of the way, taking Sarah with him.

Bran tried to respond by throwing a shuriken at his teammate, but Haru had already planned for this. Two sets of shimmering silver metal beads had wrapped around the older teen's arms and upper torso. "Traitor!"

"Maybe…" He said as he watched Kane. He'd be the hardest to deal with if he could still move. The temporary paralyze solution he had stolen from his grandmother may have been out of date, but it would still work to an extent. He'd taken it a few months ago for a different mission but hadn't needed to use it. He had dipped his weapons in the solution after he left Konoha earlier that week.

He had simply knocked Sarah out by hitting her in the back of the neck. Bran was taken care of as well now that his arms were tied down. The dirty blonde took a senbon and lightly scratched it over a vein that would quickly carry the contaminated blood throughout the rest of the body. He didn't have to worry about his anymore.

Kane was almost too frightening to look at. His hazel eyes just stared into Haru's blue orbs, but Haru could see the emotions running around behind them. That's why he hated it when Kane was anything other than happy or when he was teasing him. It was Kane who had helped fill the void in his heart when his best friend died. That's why this was so hard for Haru to do.

"I hope that you have a reason for doing this, Haru." Kane said in a monotone voice.

"It's of the highest importance. You can hate me all you want for leaving the village. It doesn't matter any more." He said. "Sorry." He muttered before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Kane could feel his body slowly starting to tingle. It's the feeling that he body goes though before your body goes numb and you're temporarily paralyzed. He noticed that Haru's chain of metal beads had disappeared from Bran's body.

He managed to pull the two off of the path before he collapsed. He'd be there for a few hours at the most. Unlike Sarah, Bran, and the rest of the village, Kane knew that Haru was up to something that did not involve the Lunar Eclipse village in the slightest. '_What are you doing, Haru?'_

* * *

**Long chapter. That's all. It's 20 pages on word .**

**Like I said at the end of Lmwig, things would be different. Haru will play a much bigger role and things may move at a different pace. That all I have to say for now. Hope you enjoyed it. **


	4. Haru's first day

**A/N**

**It has been forever, but'I've picked this story back up. I never dropped it but life has really been tough with college and the economy... bleh. Because I haven't updated in... wow.... a long time, I'll be updating more but it's not on any schedule and they won't be extremely close like todays. I've had to slow down on Tomif because eventually it'll merge with this, but I'm still working on it as well.**

* * *

**His Undetermined path**

**Konoha Arc**

**Haru's first day**

* * *

Haru looked on at the great wall as he leaned on the trunk of a tree. It was so early that many who were still up would consider it to be late at night. He covered his mouth as he yawned.

"Go to sleep. If you're tired, you're inefficient, meaning you are no good to me."

"Uh.." Haru's eyes were dark with stress. "How am I going to do this?" He almost whined as he ran his left hand through his now loose hair. It was just long enough to get into a small ponytail barely an inch in length. His wild bangs stuck out in every other direction.

Feeling Aristotle's green eyes burning into his side, he looked up, knowing what was coming.

"Are you telling me you don't have a plan?!" He growled out ferociously.

"Will you be mad if I lie?" He wondered out loud in a bored tone.

"Boy!"

Haru chuckled. "Well… I just need to formulate a plan on how to get accepted into the village. Once I get in there I'll be able to protect Naruto."

"Why do you assume someone is after him? If he's lived this long then why can't he live longer without you? It seems like, although it's interesting and I think I'll like it, he can fend for himself."

"You don't understand, and it took me a long time to understand it myself. He has a demon sealed within his body. You should know that a demon has a substantial amount of chakra that would draw even those with the best of intentions in to collect it for themselves. Unfortunately, there weren't any books or information about demons in any of the resources back home. Well, except for that they were myths about how they ravaged the Earth and had so much chakra that it would take a thousand men's chakra just to fill a single digit percentage within the demon. I know that there are a few out there beside me that know about the Kyuubi."

Ari tilted his head at the name.

"Since Naruto was a new born, it was easy to seal it into him. And because of our family's gift, keeping it contained has lasted for a long time. But… That can only last for so long." he said slowly, his eyes closing.

"You mean the seal is getting weaker?"

"Probably, but that's not all."

The wolf snorted.

"Well… I guess if I sleep I _might _be able to think of something. If I can't, then I'll just wing it-"

"Ha! Good luck with that, kid. And since it's you, you'll need as much as you can get."

With a weak glare, he slid down the trunk and let his head fall to his shoulder as he dozed off.

When he woke up, Aristotle was nowhere to be found and the sun was high. "Where'd he run off to?" He muttered. After stretching, he stood up and looked around. "It's so warm. I'd better loose a few of these layers."

He peeled off the last layer of shirts and, taking his kunai, he sliced off the bottom of his pants to make shorts. He kept his boots on, but now all he was wearing was his sleeveless chain armor and the hacked up shorts.

After thinking for a while, he sighed. "What am I going to do?" He muttered. "I don't know the customs of this village, so I can't think of a way to get in… unless…" He pulled out his father's tattered headband. "Maybe I can use this."

'At least to get into the village.'

XxX

Tsunade was very unhappy. In fact, you could even say she was so angry that she could even be considered violent at the moment. "Jiraiya!" She punched her hand so as to not destroy anything else in the vicinity. "That little… helping those two avoid the ANBU so they could chase after that Uchiha boy-"

"Lady Tsunade…?"

"What?!" She snapped at Kotetsu's head. He was so disrespectful by not calling her by her proper title.

"Well… I have news that the two Genin have escaped. It seems like Master Jiraiya is still just as evasive as ever."

"I'm well aware." She snapped. "That bastard. How dare he help those two even though Naruto is still injured from that last mission." She bit her thumb.

"Lady Hokage. There's someone here who wishes to speak with you… the gate dogs alerted me but he's got a Konoha headband." Izumo said as he entered the room. "I think he was trying to infiltrate the village."

"What? I'm busy, so-" The dirty blonde walked in with the Konoha headband wrapped around his head. She felt as if she was starring at someone long since dead. "I'll speak with him… You two may go."

"But what if-"

"Do you think I'm incapable of taking care of myself?! Kotetsu, who do you think you're talking to?" She hissed.

"S-sorry."

She glared at him with her chocolate eyes, narrowed them, and growled, "get out."

Haru heard the door click and felt the uncomfortable pressure of the woman's gaze. He was tempted to continue looking away, but felt like it was probably not something he should do. It was only when he started to look at the woman, he noticed the four pictures on the wall to his left. On the far right was his father, a blonde with a serious expression. It wasn't the face he remembered his father wearing.

"Young man, you wanted to see me?" Tsunade asked.

His head snapped forward. "Oh… yes! Um…" He fumbled with his words. "I was just wondering how I could become a ninja."

This was something Tsunade hadn't expected. "You want to be a _Konoha_ Ninja? Why?"

Her narrowed eyes sent a chill down his eyes. He wasn't going to lie to her, and that was probably his best course of action. "I had a parent that was a ninja here. I remember him talking about _our village_. He always assumed I'd end up here, but my mother wanted nothing to do with anything that reminded her of him, so she took me back to her village. It's far to the north above the Lightning Country."

Tsunade leaned forward, head resting on her folded hands. "What makes you think that your story is enough?" She spoke in a low voice.

Haru took the headband off his head and handed it to her. "This was my father's headband. He gave it to me before he left to fight the Kyuubi."

Tsunade's fingers twitched as they hovered over the cool metal leaf. "You know about that, do you?"

He nodded. "I do. I know a few things, but not much. I was barely three at the time so I don't remember much of my father. Just his voice and the words he spoke to me."

She took the symbol of Konoha and looked at it for a moment. "I take it you're already a ninja from wherever you came from?"

"Yes."

"And you're telling me that you've left this village to come here." Her brown eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"I've never felt comfortable in that village. I was treated like an outcast by the older generation. I heard this village had been attacked recently and was low on man power, and since I was originally supposed to be a shinobi from here I felt like I should help in some way." This was news he had overheard on his way here and seeing that parts of the village were still destroyed, he'd knew it was true.

"It sounds simple enough, but… I wonder if you have any alternative motives for coming here?" Tsuande said with a smooth tone. She'd get something out of him before she felt secure enough to let him into her village. Normally, she'd have him taken to the interrogation squad and have Ibiki deal with him because she was confident that he was here for another reason. Also, there had never been any case of a ninja from another village simply transferring to another village. It was looked down upon. She started drink some of her tea.

"I'm not here to play games. I'll tell you why I'm here since it's too much work to lie." Haru sighed. "I'm here from the Lunar Eclipse Village in the far north and I've come here to watch over my younger brother, Naruto Uzumaki."

She started to choke. "W-what?!" She managed out after clearing her throat. Of all the things… this was something else that had shocked her. "What nonsense are you talking about?" She asked as she straitened herself up.

"I'm Haru Uzumaki of the Uzumaki Clan. We deal with spiritual Jutsu and such. I was separated from my brother when my father took him nearly thirteen years ago to seal the Kyuubi into him."

"So you know about that, too?" Tsunade sighed and stared at the picture on her oak desk, then to the one hanging on the wall. She knew that Naruto was Minato's son, but for Minato to have an older son that she was unaware of was almost upsetting. "Haru… Namikaze. You probably held onto that name secretly, didn't you?"

Haru smiled. He hadn't heard that name in a long time. It was true, for the past thirteen years he had been labeled as an Uzuamki, but he knew he would always be a Namikaze. He had always made sure never to tell anyone who his father was, or what his real last name was. Nobody even knew the general area in which he attained his father's blonde hair, even if it was slightly darker than his little brother's.

Tsunade stood up. "It's hard to believe, but you look so much like him I can't think of anything else. It's quite a story to come up with and there's no way you could know all that from wandering around the village since it's forbidden to speak of." She walked over to the set of file cabinets that she had had moved so that she could have easy access to. She was still trying to learn who everyone was. Of course, there wasn't any important data in here, just small bits of information.

She bent down and pulled open then 'N' files. "Namikaze… Nami- oh, here it is." She pulled it up. It was Minato's old records before he became a Chuunin. They hadn't been touched in years, and one could easily tell by the yellowing of the file. She walked back to her desk and took a seat. "Come over here, Haru." She said.

He didn't quite understand what she wanted, but he reluctantly walked around. "What is it?"

She opened the file and pulled out an old picture. She held it up to his face. "You do look like him, even more here." She muttered.

Haru glanced down at the minimal data sheets on his father. Small notes were scribbled down. 'Amazing speed with hand signs' was one note. Another note was scribbled on the inside of the fold. 'Lady killer!'

"Jiraiya… he must have snuck that in sometime long ago." She said with a bit of irritation.

"What's that?" Haru said, pointing to the back side of the folder. It looked as if someone had pushed on the back for some reason. Tsunade blinked and flipped the folder over. There was nothing there. She pushed on both sides of the folder and felt that there was indeed something there. She looked over it until she found a small incision at the top of the folder.

"I can't believe someone could do that." She said as she lightly separated the two sections and pulled out a sheet. On the front, someone had scribbled 'more information, if you want.' At the end was a smiley face. Tsunade recognized that handwriting. It was Minato's. She also recognized the stupid little smiley face he had drawn, for he used to put it, along with a few other emotion doodles, everywhere, including on her arm… with extremely hard to get off ink.

May 21

Konoha has gained a very powerful ninja today. He's only a day old but that's okay. He's so cute, too, with his short blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He's a citizen of Konoha because… I say so. ^o^ I snuck in and made him a legalized citizen, so no matter what he's good to go. Writing to myself is a little odd… I feel like I'm a kid again. No matter.

Name: Namikaze Haru

Birth: May 20

Descrition: Just read up a little. Haha.

Parents: Yours truly… and I bet you'd really like to know who his cute mom is.

ID #: 19012

The Great and Almighty Minato Namikaze

"That man was so troublesome. But this just proves that you're already a registered ninja here. We'll have to think of a last name for you. I think there would be some suspicion if you were to run around calling yourself by the late Fourth Hokage's last name."

"Probably."

XxX

"It looks like Jiraiya hasn't brought that kid back yet. He'll be the one to test you and see what rank you'll be considered." Tsunade said.

Tsunade had made Haru stay the night at her place until Jiriaya showed up. They had considered things such as places where he would stay and what his name would be. Tsunade had even made his fake ID with the name Tensha Koharu.

"Rank? I thought I'd just be placed in a regular Genin squad."

Tsunade smirked. "Well, I can tell just by looking at you that you're definitely not a Genin. But I would like someone else's opinion. One that I trust."

"Where is he? I'd be happy to do it now."

"Well, he had to chase after that headstrong little brother of yours. He and a friend left to try and get one of our ninja back who left the village."

Haru glanced to the side. "Like… a rouge?"

She waved the question away. "Think nothing of it. Here, take this and go buy something to wear." She said as she handed him some money.

He took it and stared at it for a minute. "Hey, auntie… I did a bit of research last night and I know that this isn't yours… you're a heavy gambler so you're pretty poor. That's why you live in that apartment."

Tsunade made a sour face. '_Little punk… how'd he figure that out in one night?' _"For your information, young man… I am not as poor as you think. And this is Naruto's money. I'm taking it as a fine for not following orders."

Haru smirked as he took the money. "Did you really give him an order to not chase after his friend?"

Tsunade huffed. "It's a rule that unless we're under an emergency or under a specific order, that all active ninja are not allowed to leave the village." An irritated expression crossed her face. "But it's not like anyone follows those rules to begin with."

Haru waved lightly as he walked out. "Yeah yeah."

The pale blonde smirked. 'Who would have guessed... Maybe he can help me keep Naruto out of those two control freaks and Danzo hands.'

XxX

Haru walked away from where Tsunade's office was and started to look for a shop that sold cloths. He counted his money and he had enough for a training outfit, the basic ninja gear and maybe something to wear for leisure time. He figured he'd just wear his torn cloths to sleep if need be.

'_That stupid Ari went and ran off. He'd better stay out of trouble.' _He thought. Soon he ran across a shop that sold cloths and walked in.

"Hey you! You were banned from this shop and you know it, boy! Get out!" Haru, completely shocked, looked up and spotted the shopkeeper, the man responsible for yelling at him.

Haru walked up to him and put his hands on the checkout table with a bit of force. "Excuse me, but what the hell is your problem, old man?! Do you treat all your customers like that?" He growled out, his cerulean eyes sharp and narrow.

The man stepped back. "Oh! I, um… I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else. P-please continue." He stuttered, his slightly chubby hands placed together as he put his head down.

Haru clicked his tongue in annoyance as he went back to looking for some cloths he could grab. He didn't want to be in this shop for a moment longer than he had to. It didn't take long before he had what he needed. The shop owner apologized again and said he would sell them to him for half price. Haru took it and left the shop.

Looking around for a place to change was difficult since he was in the heart of the town and the only thing he could see was building after building. He was amazed at how many buildings had trees grown into them. The village was much larger than he thought it would be. There was a good amount of destruction in some parts of the town but he could see that the greater half had already been fixed.

"Guess I'll have to go up." He muttered, looking at the tall building he was standing next to. Checking to make sure nobody was watching him, he placed one foot along the wall before taking off at a high speed to get to the top. When his foot reached the ledge, he did a nice little flip before landing soundly on both feet on top of the roof.

"Whew… Nice landing." He said to himself with a small smile. He pulled off his shirt and shorts, keeping his boxers on along with the dull orange headband around his head. It was the new one Tsunade had given him. She had told him that his father's headband shouldn't see anymore action and this way it would stay safe. She had placed it in a case and placed it behind his father's picture.

He put on the outfit and then looked down at it. He wasn't in the cold anymore, so he made sure to buy a pair of shorts, the first real pair he'd worn since his dad was alive. They were a little baggy, tan in color, and had a pocket on the insides of the backs of his knees where he decided his balled chains would go in there.

He decided that he'd wear a dull orange, sleeveless shirt with a black stripe across his chest. It had a hood on the back that was black as well. Along with his hooded shirt and baggy shorts, he had white training tape around his ankles, wrists, and his neck, then a pair of black sandals. He smiled and felt an excited shiver run down his spine. He felt comfortable… he felt… home.

He didn't know what to do now that he was finished buying his things. His other stuff was inside a travel pack he went ahead and purchased and it was now hanging off his shoulder. "Well… Now what do I do?" He wondered aloud.

His stomach growled. "Hm?" He looked down at his stomach. "Good idea." He smiled as he said to himself again. "Food… I need some substance." He said as he walked up to the edge of the roof and looked over. Smelling the air, his nose pointed him away from the building he was on.

Once he was back on the road, he started to walk towards the smell of food. His stomach was killing him since he only nibbled on what Tsunade had in her apartment, which wasn't much.

A blonde girl darted out from the door to his right and with his reflexes, he spun and managed to miss a collision. She, on the other hand, stumbled and ended up on the ground. "Ow." She muttered.

He bent down and picked up the book she had been carrying. _Medicinal herbs and flowers _was the title. "You okay?" He asked.

She picked herself up and dusted her outfit off. "Yeah. Thanks al-" She stopped and stared at him. "Naruto?"

He blinked at her. He must really look like Naruto if people were still making this mistake. "S-sorry?"

She blushed. "My bad." She took the book that he handed her. "I've never seen you before." She narrowed her eyes. "In fact… is that an attempt to transform into a Konoha ninja?" She whipped out her kunai.

He hadn't expected this. "No." He didn't have anything to say about this sort of situation. She was… interrogating him!

"What rank are you?"

"Eh…"

She glared at him. "I'm afraid I need to see your ID."

"S-sure." Normally, he wouldn't feel so nervous or act so jittery, but since this wasn't a mission, he wasn't prepared for anything like this. He also couldn't believe that such a large village would point out a newcomer in an instant. It was like they had a newbie radar in their heads.

He pulled out the fake ID that Tsunade had made for him. "Here." He handed the ID to her and tried to not feel so anxious.

She looked it over and moved her blue eyes onto his. "Sorry, Tensha… Koharu… but it doesn't explain why I've never seen you before."

He sighed, knowing now he had to go into stern, ninja on duty mode. "Listen girl. Sorry if you don't know me. I've been away on a travel mission for about a year now. I don't particularly know you either."

This caught the girl off guard. "I guess you're right." She smiled. "I'm Yamanaka Ino-"

"Yo Ino!" Someone called from behind. Haru tilted his head to see who was coming. It was a slightly overweight boy with light brown hair, a teen with dark hair pulled up into a small ponytail, and a man with a cigarette dangling from his lips. They made their way up to the two.

"Do we have a mission?" She asked.

"Well…" Asuma looked to the left a little.

The blonde narrowed her eyes. "I don't get to go again, Sensei?" She asked in a dangerous voice.

"The Hokage requested for you to stay, so no, you don't get to go." She groaned. "Sorry, but you can stay and train while we're away." Asuma said. "I'm sure you and Naruto here will find something to do."

Ino smirked at her sensei's mistake. "Sure Sensei. Me and _Naruto_ will go ask the Hokage what to do today." She grabbed his wrist and pulled him away.

The three males stood and watched as Ino drug the boy away. "I didn't know Ino liked Naruto." Asuma wondered aloud.

"I didn't think Ino could _tolerate_ Naruto." Chouji said.

Shikamaru stared at the two figures. "Hmm. That's not Naruto. He's too tall to be him." He concluded. "Plus that guy's hair is a little darker than Naruto's, too."

XxX

"You can let go of my hand, Yamanaka." He said.

She stopped and dropped his hand. "Yeah. I know… but those guys are always leaving me out of missions! How am I ever going to get better if all I can do is stay here?!" She complained.

"Well… why don't you train? I mean, they're giving you this time to do it." He said.

"Because if I'm not on a mission, my mom makes me work in our flower shop. Missions are the only time I get to train."

For some reason, this girl slightly reminded him of his little sister. Neither were pleased on their training situations and it seemed both were being restricted on their missions. It made him feel a little homesick. "You could always ask the Hokage to give you a training mission."

She looked up, unsure of what he meant. "What does that mean? A training mission?"

"Yeah. Most training missions are long periods of time, like a year or two. You usually go by yourself or with one other for sparring. My last mission was mixed together with a training mission."

"So that's why I haven't seen you." She said.

"That's right. It's been about three years now." He handed her the book he was still holding. "Here you go. Why don't you ask her and see what she says. You don't have to leave the village, just go to one of the training grounds. As long as your mom doesn't know, it's okay, right?" He stretched his arm out behind his head and pulled it down with the other. "Well… I'm off to look for someone and then maybe get some training done. If you want to come and see how training really works, you can come find me. I can give you some tips."

Ino blushed slightly. "Thanks."

He waved and started to walk away towards the open training area that Tsunade had directed him to. _'I need to find that troublesome Ari before he causes some sort of problem.'_

Ino stared at the blonde's back as he walked away. 'He's… handsome. In fact, he looks a lot like Naruto. If Naruto grows up to look something like that, there's gonna be a whole lot of girls after him.' She thought.

Haru looked out at the open field. "Good, nobody's here…. But neither is Ari." He said aloud to himself. He was going to practice sneaking his weapon out of their new hiding place. He stood completely still, as if he was in a stare off.

Slowly, he slipped the zipper in the back pockets open by controlling his balled chains. Forcing the malleable metal to change shape with his chakra, he forced it into the shape of a pair of snakes and made them slither down the backs of his legs.

He instantly noticed that without pants, it would be easy for the enemy to see his sneak attack without his back to facing away or him be up against another surface. If he could make them move fast enough, however, one might fail to see them. He'd have to consider finding a way to change their color from silver to something closer to his skin tone.

The snakes slithered into the ground well, and at his command, the chains blasted upward about ten feet away, transforming from snakes to a huge metal net that acted like a Venus Fly Trap. He clasped his hands together and watched as the net turned into a solid sphere. In another moment, he intertwined his fingers together to cause the ball to shrink within the blink of an eye. This was his assassination technique that he had learned while still a Genin.

In fact, he had many techniques that he never used. Nobody had ever seen him use much of anything, even his teammates and sister who would occasionally watch him train. All they knew was that he could use Taijutsu better than anyone in his generation, and that he had the ability to control these specific balled chains that had belonged to his uncle. The reason was simply because the metal was a rare liquid that was mixed with his uncle's blood. He had another technique but nobody had ever seen that one as well. He was very secretive about his abilities. He'd even fooled his family into believing that he couldn't use the Uzumaki Kekkei Genkai.

"Okay! Next." He flexed his fingers a bit and then positioned himself so that his feet were planted well on the ground. His left hand was cupped under his right hand, which had his index and middle fingers extended from his fist. _'Focus.' _He thought to himself, his eyebrows knitted together as he attempted what he was thinking.

The technique he was attempting was one he had created on his own after remembering one of his father's techniques. He had taken the rasengan and shrunk it and focused it at the end of his index and middle finger instead of in the palm of his hand. The sphere was no bigger than a marble, and with a wave of forced chakra behind the spinning sphere, he could send it propelling towards an enemy. The impact usually entered and exited the body like that of a bullet. Of course, Haru had more than one trick.

He shot the small sphere at a tree about sixty feet away. It made no sound as it left his possession. Within the blink of an eye, there was a hole all the way through the tree and the one behind it about thirty feet away. Haru made a few quick movements, darting back and forth before letting two more shot go while he was still in motion. They hit their intended targets as he had assumed.

He jumped high into the air and watched as one of the trees exploded with a quick movement of his wrist. He landed gracefully and without a sound. Then, he could hear light clapping from behind.

That Yamanaka girl was there. "That was pretty intense, Koharu! No wonder I'm not very good."

Haru tilted his head a bit, stretching his neck. "You just need to train more is all. Let's keep what you saw a secret for the most part, okay."

"Kay." She replied. "You know… you're really quick. I could only see the effects of whatever you were doing."

"It's a natural gift. But my Taijutsu training helps as well. What would you say you basic level is? I could help come up with a training regimen for you… just a starting one, though."

Ino sighed. "I'm just a Genin. I've only been out of the academy for a few months so I guess you could say I have the bare minimum abilities… Then I have my family's technique but it's not safe to use without the enemy being completely immobile. I don't have any Ninjutsu or Genjutsu skills."

Haru smirked. Just like Narta. "This isn't too bad I suppose. Let's say that you start with Taijutsu training because if you have the other skills, it's really no good without the power to back it up. By increasing your Taijutsu, you'll increase the amount of Chakra you can release, thus giving you a better advantage in a fight."

She nodded. "I understand. But how will I be able to train myself to get better at Taijutsu?"

Haru thought for a moment. "Well, who are the major Tai users here? Might Gai is one, so ask to watch his training one day, take notes, and maybe ask for some tips. Of course, you don't have to do it with such… extreme enthusiasm or nearly as long since you're just starting out." Luckily, he had seen that man on his way to talk to Tsunade and asked about him.

She didn't look too pleased. "I see."

He laughed. He had run into girls like this before. "Listen. You have to work hard. It's impossible to train without getting dirty. Looks are not important to missions so try and remember that. If it bothers you so much, train late at night or very early in the morning so that you won't be seen, at least by very many people. Does that make it sound better?"

She looked like she was having an internal debate with herself. Finally she said, "I guess you're right. I've been so worthless on most of the missions lately. I'll go ask Gai Sensei and get some tips." She said. "I'll see you around."

He waved with a small smile before he turned around. He didn't want to make a scene, but… he needed to run. There was that huge wall that surrounded the village, but there were people standing guard and if he flashed by, he knew it would raise suspicion. Running around in a small area would have to do.


	5. Rouge attack

**His undetermned path**

**Konoha Arc**

**Rouge Attack**

* * *

Naruto trudged behind Sakura and Jiraiya. The lead was a fake and he was upset about that. And now, he had to go back and face Tsunade. He could picture her, completely enraged that they had snuck out and left without her permission.

Sakura was thinking along those same lines. They had failed to bring Sasuke back… in fact, they hadn't even seen him.

But the thoughts of the Great Jiraiya were following a different line. They were entering one of the largest towns in the Fire country and he was going to make the most of it. "Okay kids, we'll stop here before it gets any darker. Let's go get a hotel."

Sakura was glad that they were going to stop. "Finally. My legs feel like lead."

Naruto stared up at the Sannin. He knew better. This pervert was just going to get trashed and stumble in at some unreasonable time in the morning. He wasn't going to say anything until they reached the room and Jiraiya held out his hand towards Naruto. "What?"

"Let me have it." He said, his fingers twitching just a bit.

"NO! You have all that money, use your own!" He yelled back.

"I'd have to go to a bank to get cash. I'll give it back, just let me have it."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "You've never paid me back before."

The Sannin sighed. "I have to. I put it in your account in Konoha. Look… here's a check to put in when you get back. Tsunade will take care of it."

Naruto glared up at him. "You better be right or I'll tell the old lady to deal with you."

Jiraiya waved his hand and quickly left the room. Naruto opened the door and shouted, "if you get trashed, don't bother coming back!" Shutting the door, he walked over and flopped down on the first available bed. "Great… now what are we gonna do for food?"

Sakura put her bag down and held out her wallet. "I should have plenty of money for food. Let's go get some food."

He nodded with a grin. "I'll pay you back later." He said before peeling off his jacket. It was such a warm night. He took off his headband as well.

"Ahh… don't worry about it." She said, taking her headband off and placing it on the bed. "But let's eat something other than ramen, ok? Since I'm paying I get to pick."

That seemed fair to him. "Alright. Let's get going." He said with a grin.

XxX

If the day had been trouble enough, the night would be much worse for her. Tsunade had been avoiding her work by working on a crossword puzzle instead. It would have been a good, relaxing activity until an annoying, bored teen appeared over her shoulder, giving her the answer to the one she was stuck on.

"That would be Musashi, auntie."

She jumped, surprised that she was caught off guard. "Haru! Don't do that."

"Auntie… you can't call me that. Only close friends will be allowed to say it. You'll have to call me Koharu or Tensha."

"You've got some annoying tendencies… don't you, _Koharu_."

"I wouldn't say that. I was just raised in a tight nit village is all. I can stretch out here and act like myself more." He said with a grin.

Tsunade smiled at the grin. This boy was very much a mirror image of Minato, and she could see Naruto in this boy as well. "Your hair is a little long. Are you planning to cut it?" She asked.

Haru tugged on his locks. "Meh… I was thinking about it. Where can I go to get that taken care of?" It made him smirk to think that this visit turned to a hair conversation.

Tsunade thought about it. "I don't know. I have Shizune, my assistant… she usually takes care of mine. You'll have to make a friend who will do it for you."

"Tsk. Darn it. The only person I know right now other than you would be that Yamanaka girl." He said as he walked around the desk and dropped into the chair on the side of the room.

Tsunade seemed surprised by this. "Yamanaka Ino?"

"That's right."

"Of all the people you met, you met someone who is close in Naruto's group."

Haru narrowed his eyes a bit. "What does that mean?"

"I'm just wondering how you befriending classmates of Naruto will affect your transaction to the village."

Haru shrugged. "She was suspicious but I told her I've been on a training mission for the last three years. Wouldn't it be better to befriend those who are younger and don't know anyone my age who could ask around?"

Tsunade nodded. "I guess you're right. Good cover. But Naruto's group… they're not stupid. A little ignorant and young, but not stupid. They may figure out that you're related to Naruto. It's unfourtunate in this case, but you look so much like him. These children don't know anything about the Kyuubi no Yoko being sealed within Naruto. In fact, they think it was destroyed by your father. Not only that… Naruto has no family. You could be a relative that's just showing up… which is true, but… I don't know."

"Whatever. I'm not worried about that. And you shouldn't either. I'll deal with it when it comes up."

She shook her head. "You, young man, are treading on thin ice. Another thing… I've been thinking about places for you to live once I decide your rank."

"Oh! I've been looking around between my training. I've seen a few places that look acceptable and they're not expensive."

"Good, good-"

"Lady Tsunade!" A woman cried out, charging in.

Tsunade's expression changed. "What's the matter, Shizune?"

"Rouges… in the village. I sent out the few Jonin who are left in the village but… I don't think it'll be enough. There are three known casualties and many more injuries."

"What?! Why am I just finding out about this?!" She yelled.

Haru looked between the two women. It sounded like the rouges specialized in speed. Get in quick, do as much damage or steal what they want, then escape and get as far away as possible. He made eye contact with Tsunade.

"I think that they're speed ninjas. It was so fast… We need to have them tracked because there's been no word of any being caught."

"How many are there?" Tsunade asked, standing up to walk around her desk.

"Just two-"

"That's impossible." Haru cut in. He stood up and walked over to the two women, standing taller than both. "Speed ninja are never in a group smaller than three and no larger than five. It's like their code. Their main group may be larger, but there were at least three." He glanced at Tsunade again. "I can handle them."

"Who are you? I've never seen you before and… what makes you think that you alone would even be capable of pulling off such a stunt. These ninja are easily Jonin level."

Tsunade put her hand to her chin. "Are you confident enough in your abilities, boy?"

He nodded. "I'll take care of them in whatever way you ask." He said seriously.

"Right. Well, you'll need a tracker. Do you think you can watch after a few Genin?"

He smirked. "I do make a good babysitter, yes."

"Good. Shizune!" She yelled, forcing Shizune out of her daze. "Go get three available Genin. Make sure Inuzuka Kiba is in that group."

He was shocked to hear that name. Shizune nodded and hurried out. "Are you positive, Koharu?" Tsunade asked.

"Assassination is easy, but if that's the path you want me to take… I can't make any promises that I'll be able to bring back full bodies."

She nodded darkly. "Understood. When the Genin get here, I'll make the announcement of assassination. Of course, I'll water it down."

Haru started to feel a little nervous. "Auntie… Did I hear you right a moment ago? An Inuzuka?"

Confused, she nodded.

"Tsk. In my village, the Inuzuka clan is well known. I'm assuming that they're related. They specialize in tracking, turning into a tracking machine themselves. They fight with their wolf partner as if they're part of their bodies while the rest of the village only uses them on occasion."

"Interesting. The Inuzuka clan isn't very large here and they use any sort of canine they feel comfortable with. They must have broken away from the main clan, which probably resides in your old village. It's not uncommon. Should make you have a little home-like feeling."

Haru rolled his eyes and then looked outside. It was dark. Most people would find that to be a disadvantage but not Haru. He loved a challenge and he loved stalking about in the dark.

When Shizune returned, she was followed by three Genin. First was the Yamanaka girl that he had met. After this he'd ask her to cut his hair for him. That, or he'd just do it himself and look like a fool.

The next kid to walk in was a mysterious looking guy. Small, dark glasses, a large coat… someone you normally wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley.

The last kid was definitely an Inuzuka clan spawn. He looked just like Kahna's son, Kora. The only difference was Kora's hair was a little longer and black, sixteen, and the facial markings were black while this young teen had shorter, brown hair and red markings. Another difference was that Kora's partner was a large, grey wolf and this young teen had a puppy.

"What's the situation?" Kiba asked.

"Yamanaka Ino, Abarame Shino, and Inuzuka Kiba… you three will be placed under this man, Tensha Koharu. I expect you to listen to him. Follow every command he tells you because if you don't, you all could die." This made the three focus more. "Your orders are as followed- track the men who infiltrated our village. This is a K.O.C. mission."

"Ma'am, what's K.O.C?" Ino asked.

Tsunade's face hardened. "Kill on contact. These men killed three people and injured many more. If you can manage to take one alive, very well, but you won't be penalized if you don't. Get going."

They were by the gate when Haru turned to the three. "Okay, listen up. This isn't a game. When I tell you to do something, don't stall. Just do it. I'll handle the messy parts but I may need your help. Yamanaka… you have basic Genin skills… Inuzuka has tracking and… Taijutsu by the looks of it, and you…" He turned to Shino, "what're your abilities? Quick now." He said, snapping his fingers.

Shino didn't answer. "Shino deals with bugs." Ino said.

"Bugs?" Haru was intrigued, but shook his head. "Well fine. Inuzuka, can your pooch find the scent?"

Kiba looked down at Akamaru. "Found it?" He asked the pup. He looked up and barked a 'yes' before darting off into the dark.

Haru smirked. "Good. We have to move as fast as possible or we'll lose them."

XxX

Tsunade walked over to the house where the first two victims were located. The man was out in the street, died of an obvious struggle. His hair was rust colored and short, now mixed with dirt and blood. His sea green eyes were open and lifeless. The Hokage bent down to close his eyes. She could feel how cold his body was already, even though it hadn't been very long since he was killed. He was wearing leisure cloths, a dark golden brown t-shirt with a white ring on each sleeve. The pattern was familiar but she couldn't recall where.

There were two others. Another man wearing the typical ninja garb and had a deep cut in his throat. It was obvious that that cut had been the finishing blow. But the third victim was what caught Tsunade's attention the most.

The woman, wearing a short sleeved, pale green shirt now stained red and light brown pants was lying face up. Her eyes were closed, but it was her long, pink hair that caused Tsunade to remember who they reminded her of. "These are Sakura's parents." She muttered. As she bent down to get a closer look at the woman's face, she noticed that the cut on her face was already clotting. That would only happen if she was still alive. She put two fingers on the body's pale neck and found a light pulse.

"Shizune! I thought you checked all these people!" She yelled. "This woman is still alive!"

Shizune rushed over. "My Lady, I wasn't the one who checked."

Tsunade placed her hand over the wound in the woman's side. It was deep, too deep. As she started to heal the deepest section, blood started to pour out, a sign that there was some deep internal bleeding. "This woman needs surgery. Get her into the hospital and I'll take care of her. Get a unit out here to help anyone else who's injured."

"Right!"

XxX

"We've got a small problem." Kiba said.

Haru glanced over at him. "What is it?"

"There's a strange scent coming our way."

Haru frowned. "What sort of scent?"

"A dog. I think the enemy has a tracking hound with them."

Haru smirked. _'There you are.'_ He thought as he moved to the front. "I'll take over the tracking. You three fall back a little but keep me within sight or scent." He darted forward and quickly had the large black wolf running at his side. "Well hello there."

"_Shut up."_ Ari growled.

Haru smiled. "I take it you've been playing tracker. Where are they hiding? I'll jump them."

"They're staying in an inn not too far from here. Three of them… two males and a female. The males have bad injuries and the female has very long hair."

"Good. They're all in one place...Easy targets. Listen. Stay back unless I need you. We've got a tracker pup that's just caught your scent a moment ago and those kids think that you're part of the enemy's group."

Ari darted off and he fell back. "You," he directed the comment at Kiba, "don't fret about that scent. I know where the enemy is so try and keep up, but stay out of my way or you'll probably die." He said, his face hidden mostly by the moonless night. It sent shivers up the Genins' spines. Without another word, Haru sped away, going the speed he had been craving to go since he'd came to Konoha.

It didn't take him but a short time before he showed up to where the enemy was hiding. He was standing on the roof across from the window where the other ninja were moving around slowly. One of the men was pale as a sheet and there were bloody sheets, towels, and bandages scattered across the table. He was lying on the bed, and the two who were not nearly as injured were hovering over him, arguing with each other.

He pulled out his metal beads and morphed them into two snakes. Directing them with his chakra, he made them slither through the open window. He stopped them for a moment, waited until the two arguing turned away, and then sent them under the bed. It wouldn't be long before they noticed the change in the atmosphere.

The Genin were sure to show up soon. He would like to do the messy stuff while they were away. He felt bad for the maids who would walk in on the mess he left for them.

Maybe he wouldn't have to leave a mess. Strangling would be pretty clean. He chose that.

Within a moment, the woman had a dark silver snake tight around her neck. Her face turned a few shades of crimson, blue, and then purple before all the color and life faded from her face.

At the same time, the man had caught a glimpse of the snake and bolted out the door before the snake could strangle him at the same time. Cursing, Haru was about to dart after when he caught the moan of the severely injured man in the room.

"Tsk. Where are those Genin at?" He growled.

It wasn't a moment longer when they came behind him. "You three. I have a job for you. I need you to watch this man and make sure he doesn't escape." He said as he crawled into the window, followed by the Genin. He rolled the woman over with his foot. "You don't have to worry about her. I trust you three can keep a dying man under control." He said without looking at the three Genin. He picked up the snakes and let them slither up his arms and wrap around them. "Stay here and wait for me to return."

He was about to jump out the window when Ino called out. "Wait!"

He turned and looked at her. "What is it?"

She looked determined. "Let me see the results of your training, Koharu." She insisted.

"Heh." He should have known. It was him that invited her to see how training really worked, so it was only natural that she would want to see how well it paid off. "Fine. Come out here with me." When she landed next to him, he bent down. "Get on."

"Eh?!"

He laughed. "For real. I'm faster than you, even if I'm carrying someone on my back. Now get on."

She climbed on his back, embarrassed. But it was a whole different story when he started to run. He was so fast that the wind stung her eyes and caused small tears to weld up. She was surprised when he called out into the darkness. "Ari!"

She couldn't see who he was talking to. And she never heard any answer.

"Right." He nodded, confusing her even more. She could, however, see the strange metal snakes around his arms. It wasn't long before she caught sight of their target. She felt him reach down into his pack next to her leg and launch a set of shuriken and senbon at the man.

Although he was hit, making his back and legs look like a porcupine, he wasn't going to be brought down so easily. But Haru had prevented him from running any farther with that intense speed. The man, eyes wild, brought out a short blade. "As if I'd let a kid like you take me down." He growled.

Haru let Ino down. "Don't underestimate me. I'm not a normal ninja, buddy." He said with a sneer, one that sent shivers down Ino's back.

The man darted forward. Haru launched himself forward as well, letting one of the snakes meld into a long, narrow blade. The two blades clashed, but Haru was clever and was an amazing all around fighter. The hilt of the blade turned back into a snake. It darted at the man's neck, metal teeth barred, and struck.

Blood oozed out of the neck wound, but the man didn't stop. He pulled out a kunai and tried to hit Haru with it when Ari, the black wolf, grabbed the man's arm with his teeth and dragged him to the ground, taking the man by surprise. The snake wrapped its body around the man so that he couldn't move.

Haru glanced over at Ari. "Didn't I tell you to stay hidden."

The wolf snorted and trotted away. "Wait wait wait! What was that?" Ino asked, pointing to the back of the wolf as he walked away.

Haru shrugged. "He's mine. I didn't want to startled you guys with his appearance so I told him to stay back… but… he's hard headed and doesn't listen." He said.

She walked up to him as he stood there looking down at the man. "What are we going to do with him?" She asked. She stared into his eyes, wild, now trapped, eyes.

Haru shrugged. "Lady Hokage said kill on contact, but we could bring them back if we could manage it."

"I'm not going anywhere." The man cracked out. His throat had pretty much been destroyed.

Haru glared down at him with intimidating eyes. "You don't have a choice." He said coldly.

The man smirked and that's when Haru noticed it… his body was swelling.

"An internal bomb?!" He gasped. He'd never come up on this before, but he had seen the result.

The man nodded.

Haru made his snakes change shape. Together, the two snakes changed into a metal, cylinder ball and completely surround the man. Haru lunged at Ino and forced her to get behind a tree with him, his body shielding hers from the direction of the human bomb.

It was only a few seconds later when the man exploded. It shattered the sphere, but thankfully, the sphere had reduced much of its power. He waited until he thought it was safe before he released his arms from around the girl and glanced around the tree.

There was a small crater in the ground. His beaded chains had been thrown and now rested by the trunk of the tree. He picked them up and put them away before glanced down at the crater. Nothing. They heat had evaporated anything liquid in the man.

The trees in the small area that had been subjected to the blast had been stripped of their bark. He was lucky the blast hadn't been any bigger or they might have actually been injured. "You okay over there, Yamanaka?" He asked, wiping the blood away that had dropped onto his face. She was shaken up and her hair was messed up in every which way. She nodded nonetheless. "Good, because when we get back I want you to cut my hair for me."


	6. Implied relations

**His undetermined path**

**Konoha Arc**

**Implied Relations**

* * *

When the makeshift squad returned with the severely injured man still alive and taken into custody, they went to inform the Hokage. She wasn't in her office, so Haru told the Genin that they could go home for the night and that he would write the report himself, giving them time to rest. He told them to meet back here in the morning.

It was late and he didn't want to go back to where he was sleeping for the time being, so he walked over and lay down behind the Hokage's desk. He almost laughed out loud when he saw a pillow under her desk. He reached over, grabbed it, and put it under his head as he fell asleep on his stomach.

When he woke up, he noticed that there was someone sitting in the chair right in front of him. He looked up and recognized the blond pigtails. "Aunty?" As he sat up, a sheet fell off his shoulders.

She turned in her chair and looked down at him. "Awake are we? I figured that you would sleep for another couple of hours."

He yawned and stretched his arms out. "Mmm… The floor isn't the most comfortable thing to sleep on, you know."

She smiled. "I know that all too well, Koharu."

"Getting used to my name are you?" He said as he picked himself up ad folded up the sheet.

She took it and shoved it in one of her drawers and kicked the pillow back under her desk. "I am. I'm actually more surprised you managed to bring one of those men back alive. The way you spoke… it was as if you were going to annihilate them all."

Haru opened the window and climbed out on the ledge where he sat absorbing the sun's morning rays. "I thought about it, but he was already severely injured and gave himself up without a struggle. That would have been inhumane."

She leaned out the window. "You are quite an unusual kid." He shrugged. "So, are you ready to turn in your first report?"

He cocked his head to look at her with a soft smile, one she had never seen from his father or his brother. It startled her.

"My brother should be back soon, right? I've only glanced at him twice. I want to see him again."

"Yes… as long as you don't tell him who you are."

His face fell. "I know. It's unsafe for many reasons… the most important is that he'll hate me for not being here with him."

Tsunade sighed… another angsty teen about his brother. "He may be a hot head, but he'll understand. He was taken away and assumed to be dead-"

"We never even came to look for him. That's what he'd be mad about."

"And you know this… how?" She asked, leaning her head on her hand.

He looked up at the sky. "Instinct."

"Hmm. Okay… well what about that report?"

He pointed to her desk. "I'm assuming it's under that pile by now. I had originally laid down with your pillow… but I couldn't sleep so I wrote it instead. It was like the report was keeping me awake because once I finished it, I practically passed out."

She rummaged around until her eyes ran over the name Tensha Koharu. "It looks good-"

"Hey auntie… you think he'll be back soon?"

"Yes. Naruto will be back soon."

"Who wants to know where Naruto is?" A cool, male voice asked.

Tsunade turned to see Hatake Kakashi walking through the door. "A better question would be; Where are my remaining students?"

Kakashi's eye flicked over to the teen sitting on the roof outside the Hokage's window.

"I thought you were on a mission, Kakashi." Tsunade stated. "And… I thought you knew to knock before entering my office."

"My apologies, Ma'am."

Tsunade tilted her head, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. She knew him better and she knew that Kakashi had been listening to their conversation. For how long, she wasn't sure. "How long were you eavesdropping, hmm?"

"Just when that boy asked about Naruto. And I'd like to know that too… Where is he? And where is Sakura?"

"So you've heard about her parents."

"Of course. That's why I'm here. Both parents killed in a rouge attack last night. I got in less than an hour ago and-"

Tsunade held up her hand to silence him. "Those rumors are not entirely true. First off, Saukra and Naruto snuck out of the village on a lead where Sasuke was. Jiraiya is with them and they should be back soon according to Jiraiya's recent letter I received from him yesterday."

"So she doesn't even know?"

Tsunade shook her head. "No, she doesn't. Only her father died. Her mother survived."

"When she returns I'll tell her-"

"No! I will tell her. Her mother already knows. When they get back, I will have you meet with them and dismiss Naruto from the group. Escort Jiraiya and Sakura here to me. I also have a job for Jiraiya. That being said, I want you to wait for them at the gate."

He looked back to Haru once more before taking his leave. "He's suspicious of me already." Haru noted. He had a bad feeling about that man. Something about him felt familiar.

"Kakashi is one of my most trusted ninja. He was Minato's sensei, too. Even if he suspects anything… he won't be able to connect anything. It's still difficult for me but… we have proof." He was looking at her as if expecting her to give him orders as well. "What?"

He gave a bright, wide eyed smile.

She narrowed her eyes with a grin. "Okay. But he had better not find out!" She called as he jumped from the roof, off to be his brother's distraction.

XxX

When they walked through the front gate, the trio was greeted Kakashi. "I've been waiting for you guys. I've got orders to bring Sakura and Jiraiya to the Hokage. Naruto, you were told to go home until later."

Naruto jumped forward. "Hey! I went too, Sensei! If they get punished, then I should too."

Kakashi looked down at him. "Oh I'm sure that will come soon enough, Naruto. But Tsunade has a task for Jiraiya and she has to talk to Sakura about unrelated things."

Naruto was shooed away in the direction of his house while Sakura and Jiraiya followed Kakashi to go see Tsunade.

Now slightly irritated that he had prepped himself all morning for a lot of reaming for nothing and that he would have to do it again later, he slowly made his way home. Although he was supposed to head home, his feet led him to Ichiraku's.

He stood outside the restaurant, depressed because he had no money to buy anything today. Instant Ramen would have to do. He was about to walk away when he felt the presence of someone behind him. He spun around and was face to face with a dirty blonde teen with messy hair and blue eyes. Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Yes?" He was getting creeped out by the childlike excitement in his face.

"Ah…" He seemed to catch that he was freaking the blonde out. "No… sorry. I just got back to the village and am sort of out of the loop." He tilted his head when he heard Naruto's stomach growl. "Are you hungry?"

Naruto nodded.

"No money?"

Another nod.

"Well… how about I pay for some Ramen while you get me up to date. I've been gone for a few years."

"Okay!"

As they walked in, Teuchi only glanced at who it was. "The ususal, Naruto?"

"Yeah!" Naruto turned to the stranger. "What do you want? Miso is my favorite but the others are just as good."

Haru looked up at the menu. There were so many different flavors he almost felt overwhelmed. "Well… I guess I'll have the beef." Naruto took a gulp of water from the glass that Ayame handed him. "So… you said you've been away for a few years? How come?"

Haru nodded. "I was away on a training mission. It's where you go out, with permission from the Hokage, to do serious training. Normally, you would be taken by one of your more experienced Sensei who can afford the time away. A Genin would typically come back at as a high Chuunin or even a Jonin. I was actually on a travel mission, but there was so much time that I was able to train."

Naruto nodded. "I get it. Maybe that is what Ero-Sennin is going to do. He said we'd be gone for two or three years."

Haru narrowed his eyes just a bit. Tsunade hadn't told about anything like that. He came here to protect his little brother and yet he would be leaving? "That's good. You'll learn a lot that way. But what's been happening lately? The previous Hokage died… in… an attack on the village. I came back when I got word on the third's death but it's just taken me this long to get back." He had been learning as much as he could about the village and what big things had been going on recently.

Naruto looked down at his lap. "Old man Third was killed by Orochimaru, who secretly killed the Kazekage and took his place so he could use them to attack our village. We won and we're on friendly terms again with the Sand ninjas, but… Orochimaru is dangerous. He's using my friend… he's going to kill him and steal his body in three years. I couldn't bring Sasuke back…"

"Sasuke?"

Naruto nodded. "Uchiha Sasuke. His entire clan was destroyed by-"

"Uchiha Itachi. I'm aware of this." Haru praised his good luck for looking through the bingo book back home and reading every name he could. Itachi Uchiha was towards the top.

"You know… I don't have a family so I'm not sure on how to feel… but sometimes I imagined Sasuke as my brother. Of course, I'm really all alone, so I can see why I couldn't bring him back. Ah, thanks." He said as he took his bowl of Ramen.

Haru's heart tensed. His little brother had been alone and in pain these past thirteen years, just as he feared. He wanted to hug him like the way he used to hug Natra when she would cry. But this time, he restrained himself.

"I don't know anything about your problem with this Sasuke guy, but you don't seem like you're alone."

Naruto looked up. "What do you mean?"

He'd dug himself into a whole. "Eh… I mean… you have your friends, right?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah… but sometimes I still feel alone even if I'm surrounded by them. It's like… there's a barrier there between us."

Haru smiled. "Hey. If there's a barrier, you just have to break it down. Listen… Sasuke… you want to make sure he doesn't get hurt… you want to protect him and those close to you, even if you feel alone, right?"

Naruto nodded as he slurped up the noodles.

"You've created bond with those close to you. And when you create a bond, you're not alone anymore. There will always be someone who is there for you."

Naruto gawked at him for a bit. "That's sorta deep."

"Eh. I had a lot of time to think about all those things. "You know… My family is gone, too. Although I still think about them, they still remain with me here… in my mind." He said, pointing to his head. "They were bonds that couldn't even be broken in death. Remember that. You shared a bond with your family once, even if you don't remember."

"You're alone too?"

Haru nodded. "More than you can imagine." It was harder to be away from them when they were alive, knowing that he was causing them pain. His mother, sister… grandmother. All of them. He betrayed the village, a place where many trusted him, even if most didn't. He betrayed his bonds and it was the most painful thing he had ever felt. But he knew that he had to protect his brother, no matter how severe his sacrifices would be later.

"Hey, I'm Naruto, by the way. Uzumaki Naruto." He said with a grin.

"Heh… I'm Tensha Koharu." He said with a quick wave of his hand. Once they were finished, Haru paid for the meal and they stepped out. "Listen, Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"That girl you were with. Was her name Sakura?"

Naruto eyed him suspiciously. "Yes?" He answered with a question.

Haru took a small breath. "There was an attack last night. Three rouges entered the village and caused some damage. I'm not sure about the death count, but I was sent out with a small Genin team to capture the rouges. This morning a man walked in while I was handing in my report and asked about her parents. Her father died in the attack, but her mother lived even though she was injured."

"What?!" Naruto looked horrified. "W-why? Is that why Kakashi Sensei told me to go home?!"

Haru nodded. "Most likely. A situation like that is private at the beginning. I'm sure your friend is severely upset, but you need to let her deal with it alongside her mother until the shock wears off. It would be rude to interrupt them right now."

Naruto seemed to understand. "I guess. But she'll be sad. Won't she need someone? I was sad when the old man died."

Haru patted him on the head, hoping he wasn't being too friendly with him. "Give her some time before you go and visit, okay."

Naruto nodded. "I guess I'll go home for now-"

"Actually, Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

Haru hesitated. "Could you maybe come with me? I'm not very familiar with your age group and I have an appointment with someone your age. I don't really know her so I don't know where she lives."

Naruto, still in shock about Sakura's father, nodded. "I'll help."

"Good. Do you know where Yamanaka Ino lives?"

Naruto gave him a strange look. "Her? Seriously?"

He nodded, not really sure about his brother change in attitude. "Yeah. She was one of the Genin on my squad last night along with an Inuzuka and… an… Aburame, I think. I asked her after the mission if she would cut my hair and she said to come by her place… but I don't know where that is."

Of course this was a lie. He had passed the Yamanaka Flower Shop this morning and made sure to remember it so that if Naruto wouldn't help him, he could 'wander around' until he located it.

"Sure. I'll go with you. Hey, Koharu?"

"Hmm?"

"Does Ino know about Sakura?"

He shook his head. "I'm not sure, actually. She may have come across some rumors but other than the mission and what I heard this morning… I couldn't know. Why?"

"Because Ino and Sakura are friends… sort of… maybe love rivals? I don't know but she'll be upset if she doesn't know."

"Ah." He saw the potential problem ahead of him. "Well, she didn't seem to know last night, so she could have heard about it this morning. We'll find out when we see her."

XxX

The two blonds, one sixteen with slightly long, dirty blonde hair while the other, twelve, bright blonde, short hair, and a whole lot shorter than the older teen, walked side by side. Many would have guessed them brothers if they hadn't already known that Naruto was an orphan.

When they entered the flower shop, Ino was leaning against the desk, not paying attention to who had walked in.

Haru and Naruto walked up to her. "You know, people could rob you and you wouldn't even notice in a daze like that." He said.

"Eh? Oh! Koharu. I was wondering if you were going to show up." She said, smiling. "Oh, Naruto! Are you here for a haircut, too? I'll give you one, if you want."

Naruto pulled on his hair. "Mmm… no… I think its okay."

She nodded and walked up to the front door, flipped a sign, locked the door, and came back. "Okay, follow me you two."

She grabbed a chair and put it in the middle of the kitchen. "Sit there, please. I cut a lot of peoples' hair all the time, so don't worry. I've done Chouji's, shikamaru's… I do Sakura's all the time, and Kiba's on occasion." She chatted as she pulled out a pair of scissors. "These are a lot better than using a Kunai."

"What's wrong with using a kunai?" Naruto asked.

She shook her head at him. "I should have known you'd say that. If you use a kunai, you typically just hack at it until it's out of your way. I'll show you after I'm done with Koharu."

"But I said-"

She waved her hand at him. "I said I'd show you. I'll just trim it, I won't take any length off, okay?"

He eyed her suspiciously. "Okay, I guess."

She grabbed an empty trash bag and tied it around Haru's neck. She snipped away at his hair until it was much shorter. If he rolled his eyes up, he could still see his bangs, so he knew it wasn't as short as Naruto's. She moved his face up a bit with her hands, than looked down at his face.

"I thought so." She muttered.

"What?" He asked, eying her.

She grabbed Naruto out of the chair he was sitting in and put his head right next to Haru's. "You two look almost identical."

Haru felt his blood run cold and drain out of his face. "How could that be?" He managed to get out in a steady tone, the complete opposite of what he was feeling.

"Yeah, Ino. Think before you go talking like that."

She eyed him. "Naruto… you're an orphan like Sasuke, right?"

He glared at her. "Yes."

She sighed. "I didn't mean it to be offensive or mean. But you guys might be related. I mean… you could be brothers. If Lady Tsunade hadn't sent me on a mission with him last night, I would have assumed him to be a bad transformation of you. Actually, I accused him of it yesterday. Sorry about that, by the way." She directed at Haru.

"It's fine. I guess it's not impossible, but other than my immediate family, I don't think I had any other relatives."

She put her free hand on her hip. "Well, a lot of the villagers are distantly related to each other. Second and third cousins… it's just so weird. Naruto… you have a good future with women if you grow up to look like him." She said, pointing to Haru.

"Why's that?" He asked.

"Because Koharu is handsome, and you look a lot like him now, so you'll most likely be just as handsome when you're a few years older."

Both Naruto and Haru blushed. "That makes sitting here awkward, Yamanaka." Haru muttered.

"Yeah Ino. And if he's so handsome, why aren't you fawning around after him like you did with Sasuke?" Naruto accused.

She shrugged. "Well… I thought about that myself. And I came to the conclusion that he reminded me too much of you, and even if you end up good looking, you're still the class idiot I grew up with, Naruto." He glared at her. "It doesn't mean others won't like you. But I just think that why I can actually carry out a conversation with Koharu here. And it also doesn't mean I don't like you-"

Naruto blushed a deep crimson at this.

"-because you're one of my friends."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Okay. I have to admit that hearing that from you is a little strange." He commented.

Haru just watched as this conversation go back and forth.

She giggled. "I guess if I was the same as I used to be back in the academy, then I would be thinking the same thing. Friends are important." She said with a small smile.

Once Ino finished with both boys, she swept her floor of all the blonde hair. "Ino. I'm home, dear." A female called from the now opening back door. A beautiful woman with short, well styled black hair and dark blue eyes walked in. "Ino?"

"Ah, I'm over here." Ino called as she walked back into the kitchen. But the woman's eyes were locked with Naruto's. "Sorry, mom. I was cutting my friends' hair for them."

"It's no problem. Let me get out of your way." She said as she made her way into the next room.

Haru had caught the momentary glare filled with hatred that had been directed at Naruto and returned the glare at her retreating form.


End file.
